Evidence of Bacterial Life on Europa

AaronW writes: "According to this article at newscientist.com, the rosy color of Europa may be caused by bacteria. Apparently the previously unexplained infra-red signature matches that of extremophile bacteria found here on Earth."

Comments

Re:Occam's Razor

[re-geeked]

But which argument does the Razor favor?

Is it simpler to believe that a mix of salts causes both the IR spectrum and the visible coloration, or is it simpler to believe that some bacteria cause it?

We've never seen life off the Earth, but we've also never seen a lack of life in livable conditions on Earth.

We've never seen bacteria having an effect on another celestial body's spectrum, but we've never seen the combination of salts (even on Earth) that could cause this spectrum either.

I would grant that it doesn't meet Sagan's more stringent requirement that "extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof."

I also agree there's only one way to be sure...