Why Europa Might Not Have Life After All

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WWith vast oceans of liquid water beneath its frozen surface, Europa, one of Jupiter’s four Galilean moons, represents some of scientists’ best hopes for discovering life in our solar system. Unfortunately, a new study published in Natural communications throws cold water on these hopes.

Although there is no concrete consensus on a list of prerequisites for the evolution of life on other planets, there are at least a few conditions that make it much more likely: liquid water and a source of energy. Europa has the former in spades – there’s more water there than on Earth – but the latter is something of a question mark.

On Earth, the sun provides energy for almost all life, but deep in the ocean lies a self-sustaining ecosystem, independent of solar radiation. There, tectonic activity opens hydrothermal vents that gush heat and inorganic compounds. Bacteria use these compounds to produce energy, growing into thick mats that, in turn, provide food for tiny crustaceans and other exotic organisms higher up the food chain. In many ways, it resembles an alien ecosystem here on Earth, and scientists thought it might also exist on Europa. This new study, however, suggests the opposite.

Read more: »Will we know about extraterrestrial life when we see it?»

Using what is known about Europa (its size, the gravitational forces exerted by Jupiter, the composition of its core, etc.), a team of scientists led by Paul Byrne of Washington University in St. Louis modeled the geological conditions of Europa. They concluded that the seafloor is simply too calm for any geological activity that could support life.

“If we could explore this ocean with a remotely operated submarine, we would not see new fractures, active volcanoes or plumes of hot water on the seafloor,” Byrne explained in a statement. “Geologically, there’s not much going on there. Everything would be quiet.”

While Jupiter’s closest moon, Io, is a hotbed of geological and volcanic activity, the more distant Europa is too far away for Jupiter’s gravitational tides to shake its basement. What’s more, scientists say, any heat present in Europa’s core has long since dissipated.

“Europe is probably experiencing some tidal warming, which is why it’s not completely frozen over,” Byrne continued. “And there may have been a lot more heat in the distant past. But we don’t see volcanoes rising out of the ice today like we see on Io, and our calculations suggest that the tides are not strong enough to cause any significant geological activity on the sea floor.”

Yet the prospect of a cold, lifeless Europe did not completely dash Byrne’s hopes of finding life elsewhere in our universe. “I won’t be upset if we don’t find life on this particular moon,” he said. “I’m convinced that there is life somewhere, even if it’s 100 light years away. That’s why we explore: to see what’s out there.”

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Main image: NASA / Jet Propulsion Lab-Caltech / SETI Institute

• Jake Currie

  Published on January 14, 2026

  Jake Currie is a writer based in Brooklyn, New York.