Raw materials of life exist on Jupiter satellites

A substance that makes life exist across the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa.

Illustration of satellites Europa (smaller celestial bodies) and Jupiter. (Photo: shatters.net)

In an article in Astrophysical Journal Letters, scientists from the US Aerospace Agency (NASA) claim hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) is a common surface substance Europa.According to them, if hydrogen peroxide merges into the ocean below the surface of Europa, it could become an energy source for simple organisms if life exists on it.Hydrogen peroxide breaks down into oxygen if it mixes with water.

"Life needs water and other elements like carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur. It also needs energy from some compounds like hydrogen peroxide to survive and grow. Europa has water and chemical elements. We think that compounds like peroxide can be an important energy source.The presence of oxidants such as peroxide on earth is a condition for complex multicellular life forms. magazine development, " said Kevin Hand, the lead researcher.

The team used the Keck II telescope, the device capable of collecting near-infrared light, on the Hawaiian Islands of the United States to observe Europa for more than 4 nights. By analyzing data from glass, they found that hydrogen peroxide existed throughout Europa, but its density was uneven. In some areas, the density of hydrogen peroxide is up to 12% compared to water, but in some areas that number is zero.