http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (Phys.org) —The surface of Jupiter's moon Europa exposes material churned up from inside the moon and also material resulting from matter and energy coming from above. If you want to learn about the deep saltwater ocean beneath this unusual world's icy shell—as many people do who are interested in possible extraterrestrial life—you might target your investigation of the surface somewhere that has more of the up-from-below stuff and less of the down-from-above stuff. http://phys.org/news285233779.html Space & Earth Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:00:05 EST news285233779 (Phys.org) —A new paper led by a NASA researcher shows that hydrogen peroxide is abundant across much of the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa. The authors argue that if the peroxide on the surface of Europa mixes into the ocean below, it could be an important energy supply for simple forms of life, if life were to exist there. The paper was published online recently in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. http://phys.org/news284364861.html Space & Earth Fri, 05 Apr 2013 07:14:28 EST news284364861 Where there's water there's life – even in brine beneath 60 feet of Antarctic ice, in permanent darkness and subzero temperatures. http://phys.org/news273166178.html Space & Earth Mon, 26 Nov 2012 15:30:47 EST news273166178 Here's a recent view of Jupiter, with its moon Europa just coming into view from behind the planet, as seen by Efrain Morales of the Jaicoa Observatory in Puerto Rico. Why two images? This is a different way to see it in 3-D—just focus on the center between the 2 images and kind of cross your eyes. Not everyone can see the effect, but its pretty cool when it works. Click the image for a larger version. http://phys.org/news271926897.html Space & Earth Mon, 12 Nov 2012 07:15:05 EST news271926897 Microbes living at the edges of Arctic ice sheets could help researchers pinpoint evidence for similar microorganisms that could have evolved on Mars, the Jovian moon Europa, or Saturn's moon Enceladus. http://phys.org/news256463410.html Space & Earth Thu, 17 May 2012 08:50:26 EST news256463410 The ocean underneath the icy shell of Jupiter's moon Europa could be too acid to support life, due to compounds that may regularly migrate downward from its surface, researchers find. http://phys.org/news249809533.html Space & Earth Thu, 01 Mar 2012 08:40:01 EST news249809533 NASA said Monday it's not giving up on Mars, but it'll have to get there later and at a lower price. http://phys.org/news249583056.html Space & Earth Mon, 27 Feb 2012 16:37:51 EST news249583056 After more than two decades of drilling in Antarctica, Russian scientists have reached a gigantic freshwater lake hidden under miles of ice for some 20 million years - a pristine body of water that may hold life from the distant past and clues to the search for life on other planets. http://phys.org/news247937551.html Space & Earth Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:32:40 EST news247937551 In a significant finding in the search for life beyond Earth, scientists from The University of Texas at Austin and elsewhere have discovered what appears to be a body of liquid water the volume of the North American Great Lakes locked inside the icy shell of Jupiter's moon Europa. http://phys.org/news240665131.html Space & Earth Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:00:06 EST news240665131 Ever wondered what exotic life forms may be lurking in the dark, hidden corners of your home? Scientists wonder too. Studies have shown that our modern plumbing systems provide sanctuary to a menagerie of microbes. A new pilot project plans to elicit the help of homeowners to catalogue the life growing in their water heaters. The research may give clues to how microbes evolve in the wild. http://phys.org/news221390840.html Biology Thu, 07 Apr 2011 10:27:35 EST news221390840 (AP) -- Land a rover on Mars to collect rocks and soil samples that could later be returned to Earth. If that's a budget-buster, then orbit Jupiter's moon Europa, which may have a liquid ocean beneath its frozen surface, or study Uranus' atmosphere. http://phys.org/news218777198.html Space & Earth Tue, 08 Mar 2011 03:27:53 EST news218777198 NASA should focus its efforts on a solar-powered rover mission to Mars rather than human spaceflight in the coming decade, but only if costs can be slashed, a science panel said Monday. http://phys.org/news218745163.html Space & Earth Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:50:01 EST news218745163 (PhysOrg.com) -- Saturn's icy moon Enceladus should not be one of the most promising places in our solar system to look for extraterrestrial life. Instead, it should have frozen solid billions of years ago. Located in the frigid outer solar system, it's too far from the sun to have oceans of liquid water -- a necessary ingredient for known forms of life -- on its surface. http://phys.org/news205661637.html Space & Earth Thu, 07 Oct 2010 09:14:31 EST news205661637 (PhysOrg.com) -- The frigid ice of Jupiter's moon Europa may be hiding more than a presumed ocean: it is likely the scene of some unexpectedly fast chemistry between water and sulfur dioxide at extremely cold temperatures. Although these molecules react easily as liquids-they are well-known ingredients of acid rain-Mark Loeffler and Reggie Hudson at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., now report that they react as ices with surprising speed and high yield at temperatures hundreds of degrees below freezing. Because the reaction occurs without the aid of radiation, it could take place throughout Europa's thick coating of ice-an outcome that would revamp current thinking about the chemistry and geology of this moon and perhaps others. http://phys.org/news205430712.html Space & Earth Mon, 04 Oct 2010 17:05:28 EST news205430712 Before they can be sent out to explore planets or moons, rovers first need to be tested in the field. While there is no perfect analog for Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, there are various spots on Earth and elsewhere that are similar enough to conduct trial runs. http://phys.org/news201441056.html Space & Earth Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:51:38 EST news201441056 Scientists have found amazingly diverse microbial life in the world's deepest water-filled sinkhole, even down where sunlight can't reach. The discovery adds new insight into life’s ability to thrive in Earth's most extreme environments. This research also could aid the search for life elsewhere in our solar system, such as on Jupiter's moon Europa. http://phys.org/news200228120.html Space & Earth Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:55:49 EST news200228120 (PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Juno spacecraft will be forging ahead into a treacherous environment at Jupiter with more radiation than any other place NASA has ever sent a spacecraft, except the sun. In a specially filtered cleanroom in Denver, where Juno is being assembled, engineers recently added a unique protective shield around its sensitive electronics. New pictures of the assembly were released today. http://phys.org/news198240146.html Space & Earth Tue, 13 Jul 2010 11:42:50 EST news198240146 Jupiter's moon Europa has a salty ocean where life could exist. A thick ice shell separates the ocean from our exploration vehicles, and it’s not known how far down we’d need to drill. But why drill at all, when evidence for life could be lying right on the surface? http://phys.org/news196006232.html Space & Earth Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:20:03 EST news196006232 Jupiter’s moon Io is the most volcanically active body in the solar system. Could it also be a habitat for life? http://phys.org/news195411129.html Space & Earth Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:40:01 EST news195411129 Like the Earth, the other planets and moons in our solar system have their own characteristic local surface materials and weather conditions. Scientists wanting to get the most of space-probe visits to these remote places are developing a better understanding of their local parameters and are building appropriate detectors by visiting places on Earth similar to these astronomical bodies. http://phys.org/news194870214.html Space & Earth Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:37:05 EST news194870214 Cassini, the first spacecraft to orbit Saturn, has revealed intricate details of the gas giant planet and its moons -- but many mysteries remain. http://phys.org/news192305845.html Space & Earth Wed, 05 May 2010 19:50:01 EST news192305845 NASA and the European Space Agency are sending a mission to study Jupiter and its moon Europa in 2020. There may be life in the moon’s ocean, but to find out a mission will have to be able to drill down through the overlying ice shell. http://phys.org/news190564066.html Space & Earth Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:30:26 EST news190564066 Cracks in the icy shell of Jupiter’s moon Europa contain sulfur-rich material. An expedition to a sulfur spring in the Arctic could help solve some mysteries about Europa - including its potential for life. http://phys.org/news188752629.html Space & Earth Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:40:01 EST news188752629 By travelling to the outer solar system, the two Voyager spacecraft allowed us to see amazing details of far-distant planets and moons. http://phys.org/news176412079.html Space & Earth Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:22:16 EST news176412079 New research suggests that there is plenty of oxygen available in the subsurface ocean of Europa to support oxygen-based metabolic processes for life similar to that on Earth. In fact, there may be enough oxygen to support complex, animal-like organisms with greater oxygen demands than microorganisms. http://phys.org/news174918239.html Space & Earth Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:24:45 EST news174918239