In a new research, a scientist has suggested that at least three million tons of fishlike creatures could theoretically live and breathe under Jupiter’s moon Europa’s global ocean.
The scientist in question is Richard Greenberg of the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Below its icy crust, Europa is believed to host a global ocean up to a hundred miles (160 kilometers) deep, with no land to speak of at the surface.
The extraterrestrial ocean is currently being fed more than a hundred times more oxygen than previous models had suggested, according to provocative new research.
That amount of oxygen would be enough to support more than just microscopic life-forms, and at least three million tons of fishlike creatures could theoretically live and breathe on Europa, according to Greenberg.
“There’s nothing saying there is life there now,” said Greenberg, who presented his work last month at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society’s Division for Planetary Sciences. “But we do know there are the physical conditions to support it,” he added.
“In fact, based on what we know about the Jovian moon, parts of Europa’s seafloor should greatly resemble the environments around Earth’s deep-ocean hydrothermal vents,” said deep-sea molecular ecologist Timothy Shank.
“I’d be shocked if no life existed on Europa,” said Shank.
Europa’s smooth surface is marred only by dark, crisscrossing ridges that suggest the icy shell is being stretched and compressed by tidal forces.
“We’re used to thinking of tides on Earth as something seen on the shore,” Greenberg explained.
But, on a larger scale, gravity from the sun and moon constantly squishes and stretches Earth as a whole.
Europa, which is about as big as our moon, also gets tidally stretched, not by the sun, but by the gravity of massive Jupiter.
“The friction from all this tidal stretching probably heats Europa enough to maintain liquid water,” Greenberg said.
The warmer ocean material may be oozing up through cracks in the ice and freezing on the surface at the same rate that older ice sinks and melts into the liquid interior.
This cycle of “repaving” would explain the young look of the surface ice—and would open the door for oxygen at the surface to permeate the subsurface ocean.
Greenberg’s generous estimate of oxygen in Europa’s ocean—and the resulting speculation that fishlike creatures may exist there—depends on the surface repaving to have happened at a relatively stable rate, in this case, a complete renewal every 50 million years.
ANI
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
This comment has spread all over the internet and it follows a few days after NASA'S admission that water exists on the moon (sounds a little fishy to me. I knew that the organism card would be played before the big one, but I didn't expect it would come this fast. Hold on to your hats everyone Disclosure is coming sooner than we think.
Loppy90,
That is our moon that NASA found water on, not Europa. Disclosure? What are you talking about?
@Clayton Rabenda, and @loppy90:
We already knew about Europa having water beneath the surface. The real scientific news in this article is that we feel strongly about oxygen being present in Europa's subsurface ocean. Once we can establish that there is indeed oxygen below Europa's surface, we have stronger evidence to support a theory of life in Europa's subsurface ocean.
Earth's moon has nothing to do with this article…
Loppy, ixnay, ixnay on the isclosureday…
hi,I agree that there is previous evidence that water is rpesent on Europa, and that conditions are such that liquid water could exist many miles under the crust…what I do not understand is where this idea that Oxygen exist on Europa? If Europa and our Moon are same size, then it means they should have more or less same gravity. How could someone say that there is atmosphere on Europa and why is none on the Moon? I do not remember Nasa saying that there is oxygen on Europa…where this bloke found out that??
xti_k:
You are right that the moon couldn't hold much atmosphere, but they aren't talking about atmospheric oxygen, rather oxygen in the global ocean below the ice.
The article doesn't make very clear where the new oxygen information comes from, it just says, "The extraterrestrial ocean is currently being fed more than a hundred times more oxygen than previous models had suggested, according to provocative new research."
Clayton Rabenda said… "Disclosure? What are you talking about?"
I think he was referring to the fact that we are increasingly bombarded with information about the potential for life existing elsewhere in the universe, we are gradually being desensitised so when they do confirm officially that there are aliens there will not be mass panic. First they will reveal bacterium like creatures, and then something more tangible. I mean, the other week the Vatican even said that the discovery of extraterrestrials would not contradict Catholic doctrine. Loppy90's right, disclosure is coming in our lifetime.
Douglas: "Loppy90's right, disclosure is coming in our lifetime."
Not in Loppy90's lifetime or yours, Douglas – we Pod People'll see to that…
…a-ha-ha-Ha-Ha-HA-HA-HA-HAHAHAHAHA!
looks like there preparing us for disclosure
so sick of know it all comments,,,thanks douglas for clearing that up,,,i guess since that person only heard about water on the moon,,then everything else is wrong simply because they werent familiar with what they were talking about…kinda like christians,,their plageurized jesus can return but no one elses savior can….
Now we can open a fish and chip shop on Europa!
"In a new research, a scientist"
In the latest science fiction, the science fictionist…
"The scientist in question"
Accurate title.
"Below its icy crust, Europa is believed to host a global ocean up to a hundred miles (160 kilometers) deep, with no land to speak of at the surface."
I believe something only when I see it as a colorful computer animation.
I'm waiting for the "Swimming with the extraterrestrial fishes of Europa" before I make my mind…
"said deep-sea molecular ecologist Timothy Shank."
How deep did you dive in to the extraterrestrial ocean?
"“I’d be shocked if no life existed on Europa,” said Shank."
It's a computer model created by your friend Greenberg.
"The extraterrestrial ocean is currently being fed more than a hundred times more oxygen than previous models had suggested, according to provocative new research."
My computer says their dunking doughnuts on Mars.
I would like to say this is a load of cockery, but I don't know what the word means.
Many institutions limit access to their online information. Making this information available will be an asset to all.
I am happy to discover much useful information in the posts, writing sequence is amazing, I always look for like, thanks for sharing.
Cool! Author the best! Thank you!
this was a really nice post. In idea I would like to put in writing like this additionally – taking time and actual effort to make a very good article… but what can I say… I procrastinate alot and by no means seem to get something done.
Even with the effect's of Jupiter's radiation belt?
just 3 millions? I would not be surprised if they found tons of trillions of fish there , if there is any fish that is…..