StarTalk Radio Europa Clipper’s Search for Life with Kevin Hand
Oct 29, 2024
Kevin Hand, an astrobiologist and planetary scientist, discusses the tantalizing search for extraterrestrial life in our solar system. He highlights the Europa Clipper mission, which aims to explore Jupiter's moon Europa, a potential habitat beneath its icy surface. Hand delves into extreme environments where life could exist, comparing them with Martian subsurface activities. They also explore how past missions, like Voyager, laid the groundwork for today's quest, igniting curiosity about the adaptability of life beyond Earth.
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Ocean Worlds
- Europa is considered the archetype of ocean worlds.
- Other celestial bodies, like Enceladus and Titan, also hold potential subsurface oceans.
Extant Life Potential
- Unlike Mars, where the search focuses on past life, ocean worlds might harbor extant life.
- This allows scientists to study life's current processes and potential alternative biochemistries.
Dinosaur Extinction's Impact
- Dinosaurs were a remarkably successful life form, thriving for hundreds of millions of years.
- Their extinction likely paved the way for the emergence of humans.
