Oceans on Europa to acidic for life

[Princess Luna]

Scientists have long held out hope that life might be found on Europa, a moon of Jupiter which has an ice cap like Earth's.
This is because underneath the ice is an extensive ocean - and water is usually a sure sign of life.
But now researchers suggest that the ocean may in fact be too acidic to support the vast majority of lifeforms.
The revelation will come as a bitter disappointment to those who have been avidly searching for evidence of life on other planets.

Scientists reached the conclusion by examining chemicals on the surface of Europa, according to Space.com.
These compounds are oxidants, such as hydrogen peroxide and oxygen, which can bond with other chemicals to create new compounds.

Oxidants can be crucial to the development of life - oxygen, of course, is fundamental to many living organisms on Earth.
But on Europa, researchers believe, they are likely to bond with sulphides to creates acidic substances such as sulphuric acid.

his would drive the overall acidity of the ocean down to pH 2.6 - the same as a can of Coke.
That result 'is probably not friendly to life,' according to Matthew Pasek, a researcher at the University of South Florida who is one of the authors of the study.
'It ends up messing with things like membrane development, and it could be hard building the large-scale organic polymers,' he continued.
The most likely survivors in such hostile conditions would be so-called 'acidophiles', microbes that thrive on substances such as sulphides.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2110310/Is-life-Jupiter-Unlikely-say-scientists-discover-ocean-planets-moon-acidic-organisms.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

[piet11111]

What i get is that its probably too acidic but not impossible.

Besides we do not know what the conditions are below the ice.

[pastradamus]

If there is life its probably the small micro bacterial organism's of which traces were found on Mars. Interesting nevertheless.

[Book O'Dead]

I thought that that was all too obvious after the Huygens probe.
Nonetheless, there is another moon of Jupiter's whose potential for harboring microbial life is slightly better than zero:
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Jup_Europa

And Mars is still far from elimination as well.

[Franz Fanonipants]

give it up guys we only get one planet and when extinction comes there's not a goddamn thing we can do about it

[Book O'Dead]

If there is life its probably the small micro bacterial organism's of which traces were found on Mars. Interesting nevertheless.

I disagree. No "traces" of microbial life have yet been found in Mars; only intriguing biochemical conditions that may have lead to it.

[Book O'Dead]

give it up guys we only get one planet and when extinction comes there's not a goddamn thing we can do about it

I take it you think any speculation in this matter is pointless?

[l'Enfermé]

It's nearly impossible that life doesn't exist somewhere else besides Earth, with countless plants and moons within "habitable" zones and conditions friendly for earth-like life, but how much more interesting would it be if we found life in our own solar system?

[Franz Fanonipants]

I take it you think any speculation in this matter is pointless?

i mean i like to play dungeons and dragons but i don't put my hopes for humanity in the discovery of magic

[Book O'Dead]

i mean i like to play dungeons and dragons but i don't put my hopes for humanity in the discovery of magic

I don't understand this answer.

[Franz Fanonipants]

I don't understand this answer.

thought exercises are alright, but banking your hopes on them is irresponsible when marxism focuses us on critiquing the here and now

[Book O'Dead]

thought exercises are alright, but banking your hopes on them is irresponsible when marxism focuses us on critiquing the here and now

I agree but I still don't understand your objection. Besides, the exploration of our solar system is no mere "thought experiment".

[Franz Fanonipants]

Besides, the exploration of our solar system is no mere "thought experiment".

oh yeah? why not

[ColonelCossack]

That's dissappointing.

[Book O'Dead]

oh yeah? why not

Well, because there are people and governments involved in sending out robotic exploration vehicles whose purpose it is to give us as much information about our planetary neighbors as possible.

Moreover, astronomy (professional and amateur) is very popular worldwide. There are perhaps millions of people engaged in discovering, observing, cataloging, etc., the visible universe. Are they wasting their time?

Would you say that just because Marx never told you to look into a telescope that pursuit is irrelevant and useless?

[Hit The North]

Sounds like just the right conditions for the evolution of creatures with acid for blood.

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQOSuR7-cwIoCxjon14ku8EH0lfCJ7FC3jIKaISh6PzBZEBxLOg6A

Hellooooo!

[Decommissioner]

oh yeah? why not

You seem to imply space exploration, and by proxy the pursuit of scientific knowledge, useless...which is fine I suppose, but why come on to the Science and Environment board to voice this opinion when the board is meant for such discussion? Your actions just look trollish.

On topic, I agree with Prole Art Threat in that how does having high acidity exclude the possbility of life on Europa? We have life on earth that thrives in far worse conditions than just high acidity. Not getting my hopes up, chances are there is nothing on europa, but high acidity seems like a silly reason to assume there is no chance of life.

[Franz Fanonipants]

its awesome that every single one of you "space flight is IMPORTANT" goons is like "obviously you don't like knowledge"

thats not what i'm saying

[Drosophila]

thought exercises are alright, but banking your hopes on them is irresponsible when marxism focuses us on critiquing the here and now

What is there to lose in searching for ways to prolong the survival of the human species? Why is this an anti-Marxist position?

[Decommissioner]

its awesome that every single one of you "space flight is IMPORTANT" goons is like "obviously you don't like knowledge"

thats not what i'm saying

Your position is a strange one. I could understand if space flight hurt you or society in some way, but since it does not why such a negative opinion of it? Not once did anyone mention humanity leaving this planet in the event of an extinction, yet just the topic of alien life within our solar system prompted you to act like a troll and allude to the idea that we are all "space flight goons". Does the topic of space exploration just rustle your jimmies?

Again, I understand not caring, or not seeing the importance of this stuff, of adhering to the false dichotomy of "taking care of stuff here" and "exploring space," but this isn't the case since you somehow saw "we need to live in space in case of extinction" in a discussion about life on europa. Since that has nothing to do with the topic at hand, you seem to have an agenda, like as if you were picked on by an astronomer as a kid and sworn to hate space in return or something.