Radiations source of life

2000/03/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Astrofisika

Scientists are almost convinced that under the icy surface of Jupiter's Europe satellite there is liquid water, but is there life in Europe? The origin of life on Earth is the energy of the Sun, although there are also organisms that feed on iron and sulfur in the seabed.

But they also need oxygen. Europe, on the other hand, is completely covered by ice, so organisms that can live in the underlying liquid water have no access to either oxygen or light. How to live then? Researcher Chris Chyba launches a new hypothesis: Europe is influenced by the radiation generated by Jupiter's magnetic field and the interactions between radiation and European ice can provide bacteria with the energy needed to live. But how to use that supposed energy? Is it a hypothesis of reality?