Scientists recreate Enceladus ocean and find moon could support life
Scientists just ran some cool experiments and found that Saturn's icy moon Enceladus could actually support life.
By recreating the moon's ocean in the lab, they discovered that certain Earth microbes can survive there.
No aliens yet, but this definitely boosts hopes that Enceladus's hidden ocean might be home to something living.
Methanothermococcus okinawensis survives low CO2
Researchers mixed up water, salts, carbonates, and rock powder to match Enceladus's environment, then added a microbe called Methanothermococcus okinawensis, basically a tiny methane-maker.
These microbes managed to adapt even with low carbon dioxide, hinting that life could handle the real conditions on Enceladus.
Plus, the moon's geysers naturally separate out ocean compounds, which could make future space missions way easier when collecting samples.
As Frank Postberg, planetary scientist at Freie Universitat Berlin, who led the study, put it: "great news in the search for life."