Europa Has Enough Oxygen To Support Life?
So apparently one of Jupiter's moons, Europa, might have enough oxygen to support life. Well that's cool BECAUSE I'M TOTALLY MOVING THERE. Who's with me? You better shower!
The global ocean on Jupiter's moon Europa contains about twice the liquid water of all the Earth's oceans combined. New research suggests that there may be plenty of oxygen available in that ocean to support life, a hundred times more oxygen than previously estimated.
The chances for life there have been uncertain, because Europa's ocean lies beneath several miles of ice, which separates it from the production of oxygen at the surface by energetic charged particles (similar to cosmic rays). Without oxygen, life could conceivably exist at hot springs in the ocean floor using exotic metabolic chemistries, based on sulfur or the production of methane. However, it is not certain whether the ocean floor actually would provide the conditions for such life.
Hell yeah, Europa -- I've always wanted to visit Holland! Do they really wear those wooden shoes?
Jupiter's Moon Europa Has Enough Oxygen For Life [physorg]
Thanks to Kelly, who can come with me provided she steer the spaceship while I get drunk and puke out a porthole.
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