Life Beyond Stars? Icy Moons May Hold the Key
2025-01-06
A 2023 paper suggests a paradigm shift in our understanding of life's origins. The discovery of numerous Jupiter-sized planets, free-floating and even forming binary systems, points to a surprising possibility: most life in the universe might reside in the deep oceans of icy moons orbiting these starless planets. These sub-surface oceans, heated by the moon's core and tidal friction, possess the necessary nutrients for life, offering a more stable and protected environment than Earth. This challenges traditional planetary formation theories and redirects the search for extraterrestrial life to a new, exciting frontier.