The Earth may not be the only planet in the solar system where biological life exists, scientists from the United States of America are sure, who have concentrated on the search for extraterrestrial life forms. The latter, as the researchers suggest, may lurk on the surface of one extremely interesting celestial body - Europa, the moon of Jupiter.
“Europe is unique for its stunning oceans, the depth of which, according to the most modest estimates, may be one hundred kilometers. In this one-hundred-kilometer thickness of liquid masses of matter, a lot of interesting things can await us, including complex organic life forms,”the scientists say, adding that Europe has twice as much water as on Earth.
Researchers cite as an example lakes under the ice of Antarctica, which, being isolated from the outside world for millions of years, were nevertheless inhabited by a variety of microorganisms.
“Look at the crisp lines on Europa's ice crust. This is evidence of minerals that can support life. At least bacteria must be present in the oceans of Europe. And maybe the research missions of the future will find much more advanced creatures there,”scientists say, impatiently awaiting the development of technologies that will allow sending some kind of underwater probe to the moon of Jupiter.
Kolesnikov Andrey