Interest in Europan Life

• Liquid water beneath the surface of Europa would make it an intriguing analog to the Earth in a number of ways.

  • Whether there has been an independent origin of life on Europa?
  • Whether there is an extant Europan biology?
  • Whether anaerobic life could develop multicellularity, etc.?

• Assessing the potential existence of life on Europa there must be a concerted effort to understand the abiotic energy sources and material cycling systems that may be available

  • Ice surface, ice subsurface, hydrothermal, tectonic, etc.

• Various chemical and physical measurements must be made to constrain the potential existence of biology, and/or biological processes in a Europan ocean

  • First we must see about the ocean.

Previous slide

Next slide

Back to first slide

View graphic version