Ever since the tantalizing discovery of icy ocean worlds within our own solar system, such as Europa and Enceladus, scientists have been captivated by the possibility of life lurking beneath their frozen surfaces.
The question of whether these subsurface oceans harbor the conditions necessary for life has intrigued astrobiologists for decades, and now groundbreaking research led by Dr. Nita Sahai, professor and Ohio Research Scholar in the School of Engineering and Polymer Science at The University of Akron, offers compelling insights into this enigma.
In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Sahai and her collaborators, Dr. John Senko professor of geomicrobiology at UA, and Dr. Doug LaRowe, associate professor of Earth science at the University of Southern California, delve deep into the bioenergetics of Europa's ocean in their article titled "Bioenergetics of Iron Snow Fueling Life on Europa."
Through sophisticated model simulations, the team explores the potential for various forms of bacterial metabolisms to thrive in the Europan ocean, including iron reduction, sulfate reduction and methanogenesis.
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