Another ingredient for alien life discovered on Jupiter’s moon Europa

In the search for extraterrestrial life in our solar system, Jupiter’s moon Europa is probably the most exciting object for researchers. The reason for this is a saltwater ocean that rests beneath the satellite’s thick ice crust. If there is life beyond Earth, it could exist there. However, the chemical composition of the ocean and where the ice on the moon’s surface comes from were previously unknown.

New research from two different teams now suggests that these two aspects are inextricably linked. Carbon dioxide detected in a particularly young part of Europe’s ice crust could actually come from the ocean, according to the journal Science. This would mean that the water would still contain an important ingredient for life.

“Although previous studies have identified carbon dioxide in geologically young zones in Europe, their spatial resolution was too low and noisy to determine the source of the carbon dioxide,” explain Samantha Trumbo of Cornell University and her colleague Michael. Brown (California Institute of Technology).

The new spectral data, obtained using the James Webb Space Telescope’s near-infrared camera (NIRCam), has now confirmed an increase in the occurrence of carbon dioxide in the geologically relatively young Tara Regio region – a very rugged area of ​​about 1,800 square kilometers. .

And the second team of researchers also used the James Webb telescope for their work. The scientists led by Geronimo Villanueva of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center determined from the spectral signature that this carbon dioxide on Europa is probably not present as pure, crystalline ice, but as a mixture with water ice and various salts.

“The connection between the CO2 spectral band and Europa’s geologically young, newly emerged terrain suggests that this surface carbon dioxide is related to the internal chemistry of Jupiter’s moon,” Trumbo and Brown write. “Our interpretation suggests that carbon – an element essential for biological life – is present in Europa’s subglacial ocean.”