Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Life-Bearing Lake Possible On Icy Jupiter Moon

Posted by samzenpus on from the how's-the-fishing dept.

astroengine writes "New research shows the jumbled ice blocks crowning the surface of Jupiter's icy moon Europa are signs of large liquid lakes below, a key finding in the search for places where life might exist beyond Earth. Drawing from studies of underground volcanoes in Iceland and Antarctica, scientists ran computer models to see if the chaotic formations on Europa's surface could be explained by the same geologic processes seen on Earth. It turns out that not only could this be further evidence for a sub-surface ocean, but also a mechanism that mixes ice and water, circulating nutrients and energy to get from the frozen surface to the ocean below."

1 of 112 comments (clear)

  1. Re:If only we had a space program ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    If only we didn't know space is an empty, hostile cold vacuum, enormous and deadly. Seriously, what is it with you geeks and your constant moaning about the "space program"? It's over. It's as dead as the coal locomotive. I don't hear anyone moaning about the death of the 19th century rail system. We moved on. You should too. Space is too big, and our technology too small. Everything indicates that physics itself is stacked against the kind of fictional "space program" you geeks keep crying about. It won't happen. Ever. You geeks keep glossing over the stupendous complexity of doing anything more than tossing small probes and putting people in Low Earth orbit. So what?

    What do you think is out there that's so important? All the elements of the periodic table are on Earth too, you know. There's nothing out there that we don't have on Earth. And don't give me this tired, feeble "because it's there" nonsense. The limits of physics and our engineering are also "there".

    I don't see anyone rooting for life extension, but we should choose to do it not because it is easy, but because it is hard. That's what the future os going to be. We'll be exploring the small, not the large. We'll be exploring the complexity of life processes and extending our lifespan. It's already happened. It's going to keep happening. Offices on the Moon? Never. Ever. EVER.