{"id":308003,"date":"2026-01-28T13:00:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T13:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/308003\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T13:00:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T13:00:09","slug":"life-in-europas-ocean-still-possible-new-research-suggests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/308003\/","title":{"rendered":"Life in Europa\u2019s ocean still possible, new research suggests"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Europa-Galileo-1990s.jpg\" alt=\"Life in Europa's ocean: Smooth spherical planet-like body with many long brown cracks and splotches on its white surface.\" width=\"800\" height=\"591\" class=\"size-full wp-image-452148\"  \/>Is there life in Europa\u2019s ocean? A new study suggests that chemical nutrients in the moon\u2019s icy crust could sink down into the subsurface ocean, providing a source of nutrients for possible life. NASA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/solarsystem.nasa.gov\/missions\/galileo\/overview\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Galileo<\/a> spacecraft captured this view of Europa\u2019s cracked, icy surface in the 1990s. It combines images from 1995 and 1998. Image via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/jpl\/europas-stunning-surface\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">NASA<\/a>\/ JPL-Caltech\/ SETI Institute.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Is life possible in Europa\u2019s deep subsurface ocean?<\/strong> Some recent studies have cast doubt, but another new study suggests a pathway for life.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Radiation from Jupiter creates chemical nutrients<\/strong> in the icy crust above the ocean.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Those nutrients could sink down through the ice layer.<\/strong> Chunks of nutrient-rich ice could then break off and sink into the ocean itself, providing a source of nutrients for possible life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/earthskystore.org\/collections\/astronomy-tools\/products\/earthsky-lunar-calendar\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">EarthSky\u2019s 2026 lunar calendar is available now. Get yours today! Makes a great gift.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>A pathway for life in Europa\u2019s ocean?<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, EarthSky <a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/space\/europas-ocean-europa-jupiter-astrobiology\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">reported<\/a> on new findings suggesting that the ocean under the surface of Europa \u2013 one of Jupiter\u2019s large moons \u2013 might not be geologically active enough to support life. But another new study from Washington State University shows how it could still be possible for life to exist. The researchers <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wsu.edu\/press-release\/2026\/01\/15\/study-suggests-pathway-for-life-in-europas-ocean\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">said<\/a> on January 15, 2026, that chemical nutrients in the icy crust encasing the ocean could make it into the ocean itself. If so, they could provide a pathway for life in the ocean, by providing sustenance for living organisms, even if just microbial.<\/p>\n<p>Radiation from Jupiter interacts with salts and other materials to create the chemical nutrients.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers <a href=\"https:\/\/iopscience.iop.org\/article\/10.3847\/PSJ\/ae2b6f\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">published<\/a> the intriguing <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.aas.org\/psj-policies\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">peer-reviewed<\/a> results in The Planetary Science Journal on January 20, 2026. <a href=\"https:\/\/science.jpl.nasa.gov\/people\/austin-green\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Austin Green<\/a> at Virgina Tech (previously at Washington State University) and <a href=\"https:\/\/environment.wsu.edu\/staff\/wsu-profile\/cmcooper\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Catherine Cooper<\/a> at Washington State University co-wrote the paper.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"bluesky-embed\" data-bluesky-uri=\"at:\/\/did:plc:6hpos2szojcsikkzdyur5xy6\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3mcxgk26kcc2d\" data-bluesky-cid=\"bafyreiajcdshzktkm4p36etjnejtqn2bljbpbpeabqeqghd6ksefyrio44\">\n<p lang=\"en\">Study Suggests A Pathway For Life-sustaining Conditions In Europa\u2019s Oceanastrobiology.com\/2026\/01\/stud\u2026 #astrobiology #Europa #EuropaClipper<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:6hpos2szojcsikkzdyur5xy6?ref_src=embed\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Astrobiology (@astrobiology.bsky.social)<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:6hpos2szojcsikkzdyur5xy6\/post\/3mcxgk26kcc2d?ref_src=embed\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">2026-01-21T19:42:31.797Z<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Nutrients in Europa\u2019s ice<\/p>\n<p>Even if Europa\u2019s seafloor is geologically inactive, and therefore unable to produce chemical nutrients, there is another way these nutrients could arrive. The new study suggests that chemical nutrients formed in the moon\u2019s surface ice might be able to reach the subsurface ocean.<\/p>\n<p>Scientists know that the surface ice crust is geologically active. And, in addition, radiation from Jupiter creates some chemical nutrients by interacting with salts and other materials on the surface. But the important question is, could those nutrients reach the ocean?<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Europa-interior-artist-concept-NASA-September-13-2024.jpg\" alt=\"Cutaway view of an ocean below a crust of ice, with a rocky seafloor. Part of a large planet is in the background.\" width=\"800\" height=\"848\" class=\"size-full wp-image-535093\"  \/><a href=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/missions\/europa-clipper\/images\/Europa&#039;s%20Mysterious%20Interior%20(Artist&#039;s%20Concept).jpg?w=2550&amp;h=2700&amp;fit=clip&amp;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">View larger<\/a>. | Artist\u2019s concept of the interior of Europa. The icy crust is on top of the ocean and the rocky seafloor is below it. Image via <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/missions\/europa-clipper\/europa-clipper-resources\/europas-mysterious-interior-artists-concept\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">NASA<\/a>\/ JPL-Caltech.<br \/>\nFeeding the ocean with nutrients<\/p>\n<p>The researchers say it is possible. They found that a process called <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Delamination_(geology)\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">crustal delamination<\/a> could indeed allow the nutrients to descend through the upper ice layer and into the ocean. <\/p>\n<p>In essence, the ice is squeezed by tectonic shifts in the ice layer \u2013 which are already known to occur on Europa \u2013 until some of it breaks off and sinks down through the ocean. The same kind of process actually happens on Earth, where material of the lowermost <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lithosphere\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">lithosphere<\/a> peels away from the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tectonic_plate\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">tectonic plate<\/a> to which it was attached.<\/p>\n<p>The ice on Europa would need to be weakened enough to detach and sink, however. The researchers used computer models to show that the denser, nutrient-rich ice would sink all the way to the bottom of the ice shell. It could then detach and sink into the ocean. Green <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wsu.edu\/press-release\/2026\/01\/15\/study-suggests-pathway-for-life-in-europas-ocean\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">said<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>This is a novel idea in planetary science, inspired by a well-understood idea in Earth science. Most excitingly, this new idea addresses one of the longstanding habitability problems on Europa and is a good sign for the prospects of extraterrestrial life in its ocean.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Austin-Green-Virginia-Tech-Washington-State-University.jpg\" alt=\"Smiling man with beard and moustache, wearing a shirt with jellyfish on it.\" width=\"500\" height=\"545\" class=\"size-full wp-image-535095\"  \/><a href=\"https:\/\/science.jpl.nasa.gov\/people\/austin-green\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Austin Green<\/a>, previously at Washington State University and now at Virginia Tech, is the co-author of the new study about Europa\u2019s ocean. Image via <a href=\"https:\/\/science.jpl.nasa.gov\/people\/austin-green\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Jet Propulsion Laboratory<\/a>.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Catherine-Cooper-Washington-State-University.jpg\" alt=\"Smiling woman with long curly hair and eyeglasses.\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" class=\"size-full wp-image-535099\"  \/><a href=\"https:\/\/environment.wsu.edu\/staff\/wsu-profile\/cmcooper\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Catherine Cooper<\/a> at Washington State University is the co-author of the new study about Europa\u2019s ocean. Image via <a href=\"https:\/\/environment.wsu.edu\/staff\/wsu-profile\/cmcooper\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Washington State University<\/a>.<br \/>\nEuropa Clipper<\/p>\n<p>NASA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/space\/europa-clipper-tests-radar-mars-flyby\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Europa Clipper<\/a> spacecraft will reach Europa in 2030. It will be able to study the moon\u2019s icy crust and ocean in unprecedented detail. The data sent back to Earth will help scientists determine whether this pathway for life actually does occur. They will also provide new information about the seafloor and whether it really is as stagnant as some recent studies suggest.<\/p>\n<p>Europa Clipper\u2019s 1.8-billion-mile-journey (2.9 billion kilometers) includes one more gravity assist this year, this time using Earth.<\/p>\n<p>Even if Clipper\u2019s assessment of habitability on Europa turns out to be negative, it will still be an exciting mission. This ocean world has fascinated scientists and the public alike ever since NASA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/galileo\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Galileo<\/a> spacecraft found the <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/europa-clipper\/why-europa-evidence-for-an-ocean\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">first evidence<\/a> for its ocean in the late 1990s. What will Europa Clipper find?<\/p>\n<p>Bottom line: New research shows that life in Europa\u2019s ocean could be maintained by chemical nutrients sinking into the ocean from the icy crust above.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/iopscience.iop.org\/article\/10.3847\/PSJ\/ae2b6f\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Source: Dripping to Destruction: Exploring Salt-driven Viscous Surface Convergence in Europa\u2019s Icy Shell<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wsu.edu\/press-release\/2026\/01\/15\/study-suggests-pathway-for-life-in-europas-ocean\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Via Washington State University<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/space\/europas-ocean-europa-jupiter-astrobiology\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Read more: Europa\u2019s ocean \u2018quiet and lifeless,\u2019 new research suggests<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/space\/spider-on-europa-brines-geology-astrobiology\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Read more: Strange \u2018spider\u2019 on Europa hints at water lurking below<\/a><\/p>\n<p>                    Paul Scott Anderson<br \/>\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/author\/paul-scott-anderson\/\" class=\"post-author-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">View Articles<\/a><\/p>\n<p>                    About the Author:<\/p>\n<p>Paul Scott Anderson has had a passion for space exploration that began when he was a child when he watched Carl Sagan\u2019s Cosmos. He studied English, writing, art and computer\/publication design in high school and college. He later started his blog The Meridiani Journal in 2005, which was later renamed Planetaria. He also later started the blog Fermi Paradoxica, about the search for life elsewhere in the universe.&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\nWhile interested in all aspects of space exploration, his primary passion is planetary science and SETI. In 2011, he started writing about space on a freelance basis with Universe Today. He has also written for SpaceFlight Insider and AmericaSpace and has also been published in The Mars Quarterly. He also did some supplementary writing for the iOS app Exoplanet.&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\nHe has been writing for EarthSky since 2018, and also assists with proofing and social media.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Is there life in Europa\u2019s ocean? A new study suggests that chemical nutrients in the moon\u2019s icy crust&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":308004,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[24368,18,19,17,151018,6431,133,451],"class_list":{"0":"post-308003","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-astrobiology","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-life-in-europas-ocean","13":"tag-nutrients","14":"tag-science","15":"tag-space"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115972854530474204","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/308003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=308003"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/308003\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/308004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=308003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=308003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=308003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}