Fermentation Heterotrophy Can Reproduce Enceladus's H2 And CH4 Under Limited Serpentinization

Could Something Be Living Beneath the Ice of Saturn’s Moon?

Beneath the ice of Saturn’s moon Enceladus lies an ocean that seems an unlikely home for life. Its water is highly alkaline, and one ingredient microbes need is extremely scarce. Yet a laboratory experiment suggests that the chemistry of this hidden ocean could help certain microorganisms keep growing.The research does not show that Enceladus is inhabited. It does offer a clearer picture of how life might survive there, and gives scientists anot…

Fermentation Heterotrophy Can Reproduce Enceladus's H2 And CH4 Under Limited Serpentinization

[astro-ph.EP] Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus is a prime target in the search for life beyond Earth. Abundant H2 and CH4 in Enceladus’s south-polar plume have been shown to be consistent […]