Identifying places where alien life exists: Very similar to Earth?

(NLĐO) - Some celestial bodies in the Solar System may have given rise to life through a system similar to, or even more robust than, that that possesses on Earth.

A research team has created computer models of hydrothermal cycles based on conditions on Earth and several other oceanic celestial bodies in the solar system, finding that in some places, the door to life is even wider open than the Earth's ocean floor.

Enceladus' structure could help the celestial body support life - Graphic image: NASA

According to Sci-News , hydrothermal systems were discovered on the Earth's seafloor in the 1970s, when scientists observed fluids emitting heat, particles, and chemicals in some areas.

Over the years, these hydrothermal systems have been shown to be the sites that may have spurred the reactions that gave rise to early life on Earth, as well as providing the conditions to nurture that life.

In recent years, several alien worlds have also revealed traces of underground oceans with hydrothermal systems.

The most obvious are Saturn's moon Enceladus and Jupiter's Europa.

Other Jupiter moons Ganymede, Calisto, Saturn's moon Titan and even the dwarf planet Pluto are also suspected to have such structures.

Astrobiologists hope that if hydrothermal systems exist, those worlds also have the potential to generate and sustain life.

In the new study, Professor Andrew Fisher and colleagues from the University of California at Santa Cruz used a complex computer model based on hydrothermal circulation that occurs on Earth.

After varying variables such as gravity, temperature, rock properties, and fluid circulation depth, they found that hydrothermal vents could be maintained under a wide range of conditions.

When they applied the conditions of the above alien worlds to the model, they were startled.

The results, published in the scientific journal Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, show that if a world with weaker gravity reduces buoyancy, the fluid does not become lighter when heated, and this reduces the flow rate.

This could increase the temperature in the circulating fluid, thereby allowing more vigorous chemical reactions, perhaps including those that sustain life.

In other words, the hydrothermal systems that leading space agencies, including NASA, believe exist on Europa or Enceladus are even more likely to harbor life than similar systems in Hawaii or Antarctica.

This mechanism also shows that even though they do not have many conditions to maintain heat as well as Earth, the above celestial bodies possess another path for their underground oceans to be warm for a long time.

The discovery has significantly boosted hopes for NASA's planned alien life-hunting missions, including the Europa Clipper scheduled to launch later this year, and a robotic snake being built for Enceladus.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/xac-dinh-noi-co-su-song-ngoai-hanh-tinh-rat-giong-trai-dat-196240630080929584.htm