Could there be life on Jupiter's icy moon?
NASA has released a new picture of Jupiter’s moon Europa that shows jets of water streaming out of its surface.
Scientists say the pictures, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, indicates there must be a vast ocean beneath the surface of the moon.
Because of this ocean, Europa is one of the most likely places to find microbial life beyond Earth, scientists say.
Tim O’Brien, Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Manchester, said the jets of water mean that a spacecraft could now potentially fly through and collect samples without needing to drill through the thick “icy crust”.
He said if scientists are able to find an example of life that has “developed independently from Earth” it could potentially mean that “life is common throughout the universe”.
This clip is originally from 5 Live Breakfast on Tuesday 27 September 2016.
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