Is there extraterrestrial life?: Saturn moon: conditions for life more favorable than assumed
The ice moon Enceladus is one of the few places in our solar system whose conditions allow the creation of life. The results of a new study have astonished researchers.
A study suggests that Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, may be more hospitable to life than previously thought. Researchers from the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Universität Regensburg, and Freie Universität Berlin found that certain microorganisms can survive in the moon's subsurface ocean. In lab experiments, the team simulated conditions on Enceladus's ocean floor and discovered that hydrogen-consuming and methane-producing archaea, such as Methanothermococcus okinawensis, can thrive in the moon's unique environment.
The study, published in Science Advances, shows that Enceladus's geochemistry could support one of the oldest forms of life. The European Space Agency ESA plans to search for life on Enceladus with its 2042 mission L4, which will collect samples from the moon's geysers.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
