Jupiter’s moon Europa could hold the answer to finding alien life

The hunt for alien life has been a strong pursuit for scientists over the years and it looks like Jupiter’s second Galilean Moon – Europa – can hold some significant answers.

According to studies conducted by NASA in the last few years, Europa was found to have an icy crust and an inner system of oceans which can be crucial in supporting life.

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The moon has been a subject of study since the 1970s and Alyssa Rhoden, a principal scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Colorado, told The Independent that the ocean water can "somehow moves through the shell and reaches the surface".

"I started researching Europa 22 years ago, and I’ve had the same images to work with the entire time. So, I would say I am EXTREMELY excited for the new data sets that will be delivered by Clipper. As for habitability, there are probably many ways it will inform habitability, but what I am most interested to see is evidence of liquid water within the ice shell," he explained.

As a result, there has been speculation that the moon of Jupiter can actually be a habitable place in the universe. Michael Manga, a geophysicist and professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science at UC Berkeley, also supported the theory as he said that Europa is quite similar to Earth.

"Its evolution and dynamics are fascinating, some similarities but also fundamental differences from Earth," he told Universe Today while speaking about the possibility of alien life.

The theories will be further put to test in the near future as NASA will be launching the Europa Clipper in 2024 and the data received can be crucial to expanding on the existing studies.