Astronomers have confirmed something that had remained only a supposition for years: carbon dioxide is being pushed to the surface from the vast ocean hidden beneath the icy crust of Jupiter's moon Europa. This means that this subsurface ocean contains the fundamental chemical elements necessary for life, and it is precisely this circumstance that gives the discovery particular importance.
Europa has long been in the focus of scientists' attention, because beneath its icy surface, it is believed, there exists a vast layer of liquid water — one of the most promising places in the solar system in the search for life. New data show that this ocean contains not only water but also carbon compounds, which are considered the chemical basis of organic life.
According to astronomers, carbon dioxide is escaping to the surface through the icy crust, which is a rare phenomenon and provides serious grounds to suggest that conditions necessary for life exist in the ocean. This discovery paves the way for upcoming space missions aimed at finding possible traces of extraterrestrial life on Europa itself.
This discovery is important not only because Europa is becoming one of the most likely candidates in the search for life, but also because it changes our perception of icy moons as "dead" bodies. If carbon is indeed being pushed from the ocean to the surface, then active chemical processes are taking place there, which could resemble phenomena occurring in Earth's deep oceans.
This also poses a serious challenge for upcoming missions, since overcoming the icy crust and directly studying the ocean's composition is technically extremely difficult. Scientists still need to determine whether the source of this carbon is connected to rocks or whether it is the result of another process. The answer to this question could be decisive for the entire search.
