Europa

[Dryson]

I recently watched the movie Europa Report. It wasn't a bad movie but unlike cinema it was produced using different camera shots similar to how a group of camera's would document let's say instance life aboard the I.S.S. switching back and forth between cameras.

I would give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Now on with the excitement.

After watching the movie I would have to say that if luciferin, a molecule that bioluminescent fish and other species living deep under our oceans need to generate their own light, is present on Europa then there is a really good chance that life similar to species such as the Abralia veranyi, Lanternfish and Pyrocystis fusiformis is very likely.

I'm also beginning to wonder if bio-luminescent microbes could be present in frozen ice water on moons such as Ceres.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Europa Report was a documentary -- who knew?

I propose waiting for actual detection of a molecule such as luciferin on Europa or Ceres. On Earth bioluminescence requires enzyme-catalysed oxidation, which implies that free oxygen is present. So that would seem to be another requirement.

Nasa are making an announcement of "surprising activity" on Europa tomorrow (26th Sept).

http://phys.org/news/2016-09-nasa-reveal-jupiter-moon-europa.html

NASA teased a "surprising" announcement for Monday, based on Hubble Space Telescope images of the celestial body, which many experts believe could contain a subsurface ocean, even possibly some form of life.

The US space agency has already proclaimed that Europa has "strong evidence for an ocean of liquid water beneath its crust and which could host conditions favorable for life."

At Monday's announcement, "astronomers will present results from a unique Europa observing campaign that resulted in surprising evidence of activity that may be related to the presence of a subsurface ocean," it said in a statement.

I doubt that Nasa intends to announce the detection of either chlorophyll or luciferin but we shall see...

 

[Dryson]

Europa Report was a documentary -- who knew?

I propose waiting for actual detection of a molecule such as luciferin on Europa or Ceres. On Earth bioluminescence requires enzyme-catalysed oxidation, which implies that free oxygen is present. So that would seem to be another requirement.

Nasa are making an announcement of "surprising activity" on Europa tomorrow (26th Sept).

http://phys.org/news/2016-09-nasa-reveal-jupiter-moon-europa.html



I doubt that Nasa intends to announce the detection of either chlorophyll or luciferin but we shall see...

First off Nasa is all capital letters NASA.
Secondly, no one every said that the Europa Report was a documentary. Two failures in one post.

http://nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/bioluminescence/

Less than 20% of the light generates thermal radiation or, or heat. The fact that bioluminescent life does in fact generate some heat means that smaller microbes only able to be seen with a microscope would benefit greater from being around bioluminescent species of fish as the heat from the bioluminescent fish would attract other microbes that predatory microbes would be able to feed off of.

Bioluminescent organisms are native to oceans and are almost never found in freshwater habitats.


Mapping the Chemistry Needed for Life at Europa
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/europa20130404.html
http://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/europas-ocean-may-have-an-earthlike-chemical-balance
http://www.space.com/20536-jupiter-moon-europa-life-ingredients.html

Evidence for bioluminescent organisms on Europa

One of Galileo's most important measurements showed how Jupiter's magnetic field was disrupted in the space around Europa. This measurement strongly implied that a special type of magnetic field is being created (or induced) within Europa by a deep layer of some electrically conductive fluid beneath the surface. Based on Europa's icy composition, scientists think the most likely material to create this magnetic signature is a global ocean of salty water.

Since bioluminescent species are not native to freshwater habitats then a salt water habitat, which Europa does in fact have, would be a prime environment for bioluminescent species to exist in.

http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/europa/evidence.cfm

Most bioluminescent reactions involve luciferin and luciferase. Some reactions, however, do not involve an enzyme (luciferase). These reactions involve a chemical called a photoprotein. Photoproteins combine with luciferins and oxygen, but need another agent, often an ion of the element calcium, to produce light.

Since there is the possibility of water on Europa then one criteria has been met for a photoprotein based organism to exist. Where ever there is water there is oxygen. The second criteria for bioluminescent species to exist under the ice layer is that calcium would need to be present. Calcium is indeed present on Europa. Only one ion of calcium is needed in order to complete the combination.

Europa Surface Composition
Page 285 - http://people.virginia.edu/~rej/papers09/Carlson4019.pdf

Luciferin

http://biolum.eemb.ucsb.edu/chem/detail2.html

If you look at the chart in the link above you will see that the following molecules necessary for the listed bioluminescent species based on the molecules on Europa located listed on page 285 of Europa's Surface Composition are in fact present on Europa.

Vargulin or Cypridina-type luciferin is found in the ostracod ("seed shrimp") Vargula and Cypridina, and is also used by the midshipman fish Porichthys. Here there is a clear dietary link, with fish losing their ability to luminesce until they are fed with luciferin-bearing food. It has been shown that ostracods synthesize this molecule from the amino acids tryptophan, isoleucine, and arginine. This type of species would actively prey on other bio-luminescent fish species in order to retain the necessary luciferin needed to produce light and small amounts of heat.

Elements needed: NH, N, O, C, H
Elements present on Europa: All necessary elements present.

Coelenterazine is the most "popular" of the marine luciferins, found in a variety of phyla. This molecule can occur in luciferin-luciferase systems, and is famous for being the light emitter of the photoprotein "aequorin".

Aequorin- Aequorin is a calcium-activated photoprotein isolated from the hydrozoan Aequorea victoria. Though the bioluminescence was studied decades before, the protein was originally isolated from the animal by Osamu Shimomura.

Elements needed: HO,N,NH,OH, H,O
Elements present on Europa: All necessary elements present.

Bacterial luciferin is a reduced riboflavin phosphate (FMNH2, pictured here) which is oxidized in association with a long-chain aldehyde, oxygen, and a luciferase.

Elements needed: NH, N CH, O, H, P
Elements present on Europa: All necessary elements present.

Europa would in fact be able to support an environment capable of sustaining bio-luminescent species of life.

 

[psCargile]

Capital letters. Capitol, as in The Capitol is the seat of the US Congress, since we are playing this game.

Good movie though.

 

[JWPlatt]

As long as we're making corrections, NASA is a singular entity, regardless of the multiple people who staff it. NASA aren't a plural. Excellent call on "capital" though. Instant karma.

Never saw the movie. I thought I'd want to, but now that I know it's shaky cam, I'm far less enthusiastic.

"All these worlds are yours, except Europa. Attempt no landing there."

 

[psCargile]

Alien is the better version. Not a lot of shaky cam if I remember correctly, but as Dryson said, as if shot from static cameras throughout the ship. Nice realistic ship design too.

 

[JWPlatt]

Oh, that sounds better. I was imagining a camera tossed back and forth between people. I misread what Dryson described.

 

[Nebusj]

As long as we're making corrections, NASA is a singular entity, regardless of the multiple people who staff it. NASA aren't a plural.

These are matters of style manual preferences and convention, and hardly universal law. The singular-or-plural convention for a group entity is especially arbitrary. There's at least a hard-to-immediately-dismiss argument for referring to an organization in the style it uses for itself, barring some special circumstance.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

I shan't bother to comment on the speculation on the nature of life forms likely to exist on Europa based on very scant evidence. I suspect any life might have to get its energy from thermal vents as very little of the available sunlight (1/27th the flux at earth) is likely to penetrate the ice layer. I expect nothing more complex could evolve than prokaryotic bacteria but who knows.

Yes, Nasa should be written NASA but I don't care.

ETA: NASA announced today that Europa is spewing water jets.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-37473617

 

[MacLeod]

Well a liquid ocean beneath the surface ice of Europa had long been suspected, but we have hydothermal vents in the depths of our oceans on Earth where light really doesn't reach and we have life there.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Life on earth might have originated at such vents but it was unlikely that it would get much further than simple microbes until the much larger ecological realm of shallower water with access to sunlight was colonised by cyanobacteria and free oxygen was released. These simple organisms effectively terraformed the Earth, making it habitable for single and multiple celled eukaryotes such as ourselves that require oxygen for respiration. Of course, it's not inconceivable that complex life forms could evolve around thermal vents on Europa but it's not believed to have happened on Earth. Instead, it's thought that multicellular life here has back colonised thermal vents after evolving nearer the surface.

However, based on the relative cytoplasmic concentrations of potassium and sodium salts and how cellular fatty-acid membranes form, some scientists alternatively theorise that life on Earth began in hot springs on land rather in the oceans.

 

[2takesfrakes]

Europa's ocean must be so icy cold and the distance between vents so vast, that I seriously doubt microbes could ever traverse between them. Whilst I find some of the theories on how Jupiter's radiation might have a Life-giving affect on the icy shell of Europa affecting the water-chemistry interesting, NASA does seem to overestimate otherworldly conditions, with its theories. Like how Saturn's moon Titan was supposed to be awash in great, rolling oceans of methane. This is simply not the case. Even the "seas" that are known to exist are exaggerated descriptions of the largest of them. I know NASA wants the public to get excited by what it's doing, but will it never underplay any of this wild speculation?

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Life survives just fine around 273 K on Earth. I don't see why very simple life forms couldn't exist in the liquid water ocean on Europa, provided that there was exploitable energy (ion gradients) at thermal vents. The water ocean might even be warm with large scale convection, which would distribute nutrients and allow transport of life between the vents.

The temperature of Europa’s subsurface water ocean (http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~rlorenz/europa.pdf)

 

[Dryson]

Life survives just fine around 273 K on Earth. I don't see why very simple life forms couldn't exist in the liquid water ocean on Europa, provided that there was exploitable energy (ion gradients) at thermal vents. The water ocean might even be warm with large scale convection, which would distribute nutrients and allow transport of life between the vents.

The temperature of Europa’s subsurface water ocean (http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~rlorenz/europa.pdf)

Even if there isn't any core activity within Europa's core the thought is that the oceans underneath the surface of Europa are salt water.

Salt water is a very good conductor of electricity. http://physics.stackexchange.com/qu...pure-water-because-electrical-current-is-tran

Based on the link to the articles below salt water does the have the potential to generate heat.
http://physicsbuzz.physicscentral.com/2007/11/fire-from-salt-water-lets-focus-people.html
http://www.technologist.eu/salt-for-heating/
http://physics.stackexchange.com/qu...the-water-when-you-add-salt-to-a-bowl-of-melt
http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/vrchemistry/energy/Page_25.htm

A delicate balance determines whether the dissolving of a salt crystal in water will absorb or give off heat. Energy is required to pull apart the oppositely charged ions in the crystal, and this is called the lattice energy, DHlat.

I would have to say that since NASA has determined that interactions between Jupiter and Europa exist that a delicate balance is present under the surface of Europa where salt crystals will absorb and generate heat without the need of an active core to generate heat that would heat the oceans floors through ocean vents.

http://www.space.com/34205-europa-orbiter-could-study-moons-plumes.html

In the link in the article above a fly-through of one of the water plumes is scheduled and that if any life was found it would most likely be dead due to radiation and severe temperatures.

Yet life contained in the frozen ice cubes of Europa's Plumes would settle back to the surface of Europa trapping the dead microbes that over millions of years would create a layer of fertilizer. When the right conditions existed and portions of the surface of Europa melted creating lakes and ponds the necessary nutrients for plants would be present for the plants in the dead microbes and bacteria that had build up over the millions of years thus creating a base for soil.
http://www.naturalnews.com/032747_phytoremediation_radiation.html

As new microbes feed on the dead microbes and plants the death of the new plants and microbes would add many new layers to the soil creating new nutrients. As the compost pile grew and the process of decay continue heat would build up allowing even newer plants and microbes to flourish.

With the surface of Europa heating up over time and releasing stored chemicals from the surface clouds would be formed that would not only block the radiation from Jupiter but would also trap the heat generated from the numerous chemical reactions taking place that would possibly create a tolerable atmosphere for humans to live without much accommodations.

Such as study would probably take years. But what else is anyone really doing?

but.....the main fascination with the Europian Plumes is that if microbes and bacteria are discovered as being frozen in small ice packets then each packet would be a sampler of life.

Each Europan Sampler Packet containing water, oxygen and nutrients that would travel through space and time and could possibly combine over time into large comets. Comets that would then spread life to other planets or at least the nutrients needed for life on other planets to use.

NASA detects water plumes on Europa - You Tube Video -

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Other articles:

http://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-announced-hubble-found-jets-liquid-water-europa-2016-9
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...aw-europas-geysers-erupting-into-space-again/

The geysers erupting on Europa are important not only because they are watery plumes but if microbial life is found in the plumes that means microbial life is present under the surface of Europa.

Most importantly though a new process of spreading the seed of life across a solar system let alone a galaxy and the Universe would emerge. Just imagine 500 billion planets similar to Europa across the Universe with microbial life under the surface erupting. The water with the microbes freezing and then traveling through space and time seeding planets the Sampler Packs come in contact with microbial's that would provide other microbes and bacteria with a food source thus creating a food chain all the way up to sentient lifeforms.

"This is the first time plumes have been spotted again since that one-off in 2012."

This would mean that what ever is causing the plumes to erupt is on a four year cycle. Its very interesting that the U.S. elections are also on a four year cycle as well.

There must be a pressure build up somewhere near the core that erupts every four years.

 

[publiusr]

One more reason to dust off JIMO plans

 

[Dryson]

One more reason to dust off JIMO plans

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_Icy_Moons_Orbiter

If a probe is sent to Europa it should be a probe carrier that could deploy Cube Sats that could reduce the cost of sending much more single purpose probes to Europa. The carrier itself would received the data from the Cub Sats, compile the data and then transmit it back to Earth in compiled format. The carrier would also constantly transmit un-compiled data to Earth so that two different methods of comparison were present that would be used to determine what discrepancies were found in either data set when compared with the other data set.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Why not avoid complication by using error correcting encoding with the signal?

http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Error-CorrectingCode.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convolutional_code

 

[Dryson]

Why not avoid complication by using error correcting encoding with the signal?

http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Error-CorrectingCode.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convolutional_code

Having two different systems transmitting the data ensures the original data was not corrupted by the onboard process of compilation.

 

[Dryson]

Europa's ocean must be so icy cold and the distance between vents so vast, that I seriously doubt microbes could ever traverse between them. Whilst I find some of the theories on how Jupiter's radiation might have a Life-giving affect on the icy shell of Europa affecting the water-chemistry interesting, NASA does seem to overestimate otherworldly conditions, with its theories. Like how Saturn's moon Titan was supposed to be awash in great, rolling oceans of methane. This is simply not the case. Even the "seas" that are known to exist are exaggerated descriptions of the largest of them. I know NASA wants the public to get excited by what it's doing, but will it never underplay any of this wild speculation?

Europa's oceans are thought to be salt water. Salt water is a very good conductor of electricity. Even a small amount of temperature increase in the salty water would be enough for microbes to survive especially if the microbes were able to evolve to use the electricity to generate even a small amount of heat from.

 

[2takesfrakes]

The water chemistry, aside from salinity, is completely in question, also. Look, if there's life in Europa's seas, that question was settled billions of years ago. If it's there ... fine. Great. My concern in that instance is NASA's insistence on, somehow, bringing these back to Earth, for study. I remember GENESIS, if that's what it was called, which took Solar Wind samples and was supposed to jeteson the material in a pod, back on Earth, for study. NASA even had stunt pilots from Hollywood flying helicopters, to snag this pod's parachute, as it landed. Well ... NASA screwed it up and the thing plummeted to Earth without its parachute and they had to dig it out of a small crater all cracked and opened. So ... I'm not thrilled at the prospect of satellites bringing alien bugs back in this fashion.

But NASA's desperate need for funding encourages its PR Department to exaggerate, to overestimate - to outright lie, on occasion - to generate interest in highly speculative theories. Life on Earth, as we currently know it, isn't just discrete pockets here and there ... it's all interdependent, interacting on eachother. Obviously, Earth was never encased in a global shell of ice. The energy of the sun, the composition of the atmosphere, the sea's own chemistry weren't especially comparable to Europa. Scientists cant' even create the spark of Life in a laboratory on the very planet Life began. The conditions on Europa don't seem likely to recreate that spark, either. All that's for these various space agencies to investigate, of course. But they're hardly going about it without preconceived notions or expectations ... and a lot of unwarranted hype.