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November 16, 2012






Io, the innermost of Jupiter's large satellites and the most volcanically active body in the solar system, with plumes of matter rising up to 186 miles (300 km) above the surface, is considered a prime candidate as a hotspot for extreme extraterrestrial life.  

In the image above Two sulfurous eruptions are visible on Io from the robotic Galileo spacecraft that orbited Jupiter from 1995 to 2003. At the image top, over Io's limb, a bluish plume rises about 140 kilometers above the surface of a volcanic caldera known as Pillan Patera.
In the image middle, near the night/day shadow line, the ring shaped Prometheus plume is seen rising about 75 kilometers, or about 46 miles, above Io while casting a shadow below the volcanic vent. The plume is visible in every image ever made of the region dating back to the Voyager flybys of 1979, presenting the possibility that this plume has been continuously active for at least 18 years. 





Jupiter's radiation would have stripped this water from Io's surface, perhaps within 10 million years. At this point life could have retreated underground, where water might still be abundant, and geothermal activity and sulfur compounds could provide microbes with sufficient energy to survive.

Although no organic molecules have been detected on the moon’s surface, that does not mean they do not exist underground, Schulze-Makuch said. Any organic compounds that once existed on the surface or that may today still emanate from the subsurface -- which probably were naturally present in this region of space during Io's formation -- would get quickly destroyed by Jupiter's radiation.

The many lava tubes thought to exist on Io could serve as an especially favorable environment for life, Schulze-Makuch suggested, by protecting organisms from radiation. The lava tubes also could provide thermal insulation, trapping moisture and providing nutrients such as sulfurous compounds. Microbes are common in lava tubes on Earth, from ice and volcano zones in Iceland to hot sand-floored tubes in Saudi Arabia, and lava tubes are the most plausible cave environment for life on Mars, he added.

The primordial soup that any life on Io might have originated from was likely based on water, but the solvent of choice for organisms there might have drastically changed later on as the moon transformed. Hydrogen sulfide is one choice, as it is reasonably abundant in Io's shallow subsurface and remains liquid from negative 123 to negative 76 degrees F (-86 to -60 degrees C), falling within the environmental conditions that would prevail there. While it is not especially efficient as a solvent for ions, it does dissolve many substances, including many organic compounds. Other possibilities include sulfur dioxide and sulfuric acid.

"I'm exploring with colleagues whether sulfur compounds could work as solvents of life," Schulze-Makuch noted. Given the wild extremes Io can swing through as it orbits Jupiter, one possible survival strategy for life in this challenging environment would be to remain dormant most of the time, only reverting back when nutrients were rich. "It'd be much easier for life to take a beating if it goes dormant regularly," Schulze-Makuch
The Daily Galaxy via Washington State University 


Exciting speculation as to whether there may be life on/within the solar system's volcanic epicenter, IO in orbit around Jupiter. But no, even after decades of Mars exploration via orbiters and more recently rovers, there is still not a single shred of evidence that there ever was life on Mars, though seas once covered portions of the Red Planet. If there were other life in the solar system, it would have emerged on Mars, not on IO, but (though the jury is still out) it has not. While I would favor eventual scientific exploration of IO, the chances of life on IO are infinitesimally small. The real query should be -- is there other life in this galaxy? I tell you that the galaxy is teeming with life and with intelligent life.

I am confused by your headline. In what sense does the universe have an epicentre?

Solar system, I mean. Not universe of course

Forget Io. Search for life outside the solar system!

I am confused by your stupidity, the epicenter of volcanic activity in our solar system would mean that it has the most volcanic activity within our solar system thus making it the epicenter of activity. Are you still with me or did you head back to the bong? Secondly Pete it is much easier to study what is within our reach as opposed to somehow looking lightyears away for life..when you invent a warp drive let me know. Lastly Mars has had signs of methane gas which could point to life underneath the surface but we have yet to send anything with the capability to climb into caves or dig deep into Mars crust. Please have a clue before you comment on scientific findings as this is not your buddies Facebook.

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