Could Jupiter's moon Europa really support life? New study says "maybe not"
Europa, Jupiter's icy moon, has long been a favorite in the search for alien life thanks to its hidden ocean.
But a fresh study just published in Nature Communications suggests its seafloor might be way too solid—meaning it probably lacks the tectonic and volcanic activity that helps create life-friendly chemistry here on Earth.
What this means (and what's next)
Modeling in the new research suggests little likelihood of the kind of underwater action that could mix rock and water—key for sparking life.
Still, Europa isn't out of the running: its subsurface ocean, the presence of organic chemicals on its surface, and tidal heating from Jupiter's gravity keep hope alive.
NASA's Europa Clipper mission will start flybys in 2031 to dig deeper into these mysteries and figure out if Europa could actually host something living beneath all that ice.