Oceans on Europa Have Enough Oxygen to Support Space Fish
Is Jupiter's moon populated by watery aliens? Thanks to a surface covered in liquid water, Jupiter's moon Europa serves as the prime suspect for bodies in our solar system harboring extraterrestrial life. For the most part though, speculation has assumed the life on Europa would be microscopic, similar to the chemical and rock-eating microbes found atop undersea volcanic vents on Earth. However, a new study estimates the level of oxygen in Europa's seas may be high enough to support fish-sized life. Hello, alien sushi. At this month's meeting of the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona professor of planetary science Richard Greenberg presented his new model for Europa's ocean. In this model, the sea contains enough oxygen for three tons of fish-sized creatures. And while that number seems fairly low on a planet where a single boat could haul a multi-ton catch, it's worth noting that Europa...