Europa Clipper’s Search for Life with Kevin Hand

About This Episode

Will we find life alive in our very own solar system? Neil deGrasse Tyson dives into one of the most exciting frontiers of astrobiology: ocean worlds beyond Earth, exploring the Europa Clipper, and the search for life in our own backyard with astrobiologist and planetary scientist Kevin Hand. Are we alone in the universe?

Scientists have been captivated by the mysterious activity beneath Europa’s frozen surface, eventually discovering that the outer solar system harbors multiple ice-covered worlds with subsurface oceans. But could these alien oceans support life? While the search for life on Mars focuses on ancient, fossilized life forms, Europa and Enceladus could host extant life—living organisms thriving beneath their icy crusts. We explore how these moons upended our beliefs about habitability and where life can be found. We discuss what life could look like on these moons, pondering whether evolution is contingent on specific events (like the extinction of dinosaurs) or if useful traits might evolve independently across the universe.

The conversation shifts to Titan, a moon with liquid methane lakes, and the possibility of methane-based life. Can a liquid other than water sustain life? We explore how water’s polarity makes it essential for dissolving life-supporting compounds, whereas methane’s non-polar nature complicates this idea. Learn about extreme life forms on Earth, from hydrothermal vents to underground microbes.

We take a look at NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, which will perform flybys just 25 kilometers above the moon’s surface, the hosts marvel at the engineering feat of sending a spacecraft so far from Earth. Discover how The Clipper’s onboard instruments will give us an unprecedented glimpse into the chemistry of Europa’s hidden ocean, analyzing plumes of water vapor that escape through cracks in the ice. Could we find more than just water down there—perhaps even signs of life?

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