NEW ORLEANS — Jupiter’s moon Europa has long fascinated scientists looking for life. Its icy surface covers a massive saltwater ocean, which could be a potential home for life.
Recent findings, however, have raised doubts. Europa’s ice crust is about 35 kilometers thick—around the height of four Mount Everests. This means not much heat is escaping from the moon’s rocky interior, which makes it less likely to have hydrothermal vents at the ocean floor—one possible place for life. Also, even though water plumes were reported in 2013, no one has confirmed them, making it unclear if Europa is geologically active.
Truong presented research at the American Geophysical Union meeting suggesting that radioactive elements in Europa’s rocks could release energy into the ocean, enough to support basic life. NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, launched last year, may be able to detect these elements during its ice-skimming flybys when it reaches Europa next decade.