JWST results suggest that ice on Europa's surface is constantly refreshed. https://www.swri.org/newsroom/press-releases/swri-scientists-contribute-uncovering-ongoing-surface-modification-jupiter-s-moon-europa
Evidence for ongoing surface changes on Europa seen by JWST
byu/Fresnel_peak inspace
5 Comments
Yes.
The Vex have infiltrated the Planet.
The Eliksni might have built a stronghold there too.
Europa is such an infinitely fascinating place and likely where we will find life when the Clipper arrives.
It’s kind of undersold how huge it would be finding life at (or inside ig) a place like Europa as opposed to the usual suspects like Mars. Our system has so many bodies with an underground ocean, you’d basically see the odds of more life in our solar system itself skyrocket, basically teeming with it in a way.
Though the timescales of these expeditions really makes me a little sad. Clipper itself I’m unsure, about how much it’ll be able to find out from its instruments in terms of biosignatures.
If the evidence eventually suggest zero life ever on Europa, it will be disappointing but still a great thing to know. With what we know about extremophiles on Earth, no life on Europa would tell us a ton about how difficult it is for life to take hold.
If I remember about a year ago scientists were saying that Europa might be geologically inert and thus uninhabitable, but this seems to contradict that.