Potential signs of life on Europa

Abstract

This paper discusses the possibility of life on Europa, the moon of Jupiter by analyzing the biological components, energy source, and ocean environment on Europa. The biological components, especially amino acids, have great possibilities of forming or have already existed on Europa since its compositive elements are present and the environment on Europa is very similar to the primitive Earth. Energy sources are expected to come from the hydrothermal vents at the ocean bottom, which are formed by tidal forces and tidal heating. The hydrothermal vents are rich in chemicals and elements and have the possibility of forming lives in the future. The ocean environment is thought to be rich in oxygen, which comes from the planet Jupiter, it is first reflected on the surface of Europa, but later on, transported to the ocean through the ice layer and a lake in between. Furthermore, the freezing point of the ocean might be affected by the fact that it contains salt, but not by the fact that it has very low air pressure. To conclude, there is a great possibility that lives exist on Europa, but it cannot be 100% positive since no specific experiments have been done throughout the research, and there are so many uncertainties in space that have not been discovered yet.