Overview

• Recent lab experiments have demonstrated that instruments on spacecraft can detect signs of life in ice grains ejected from moons like Enceladus and Europa.
• The Europa Clipper mission, scheduled to launch in October 2024, will carry instruments capable of identifying cellular material in single ice grains.
• Researchers used Sphingopyxis alaskensis, a bacterium that thrives in cold, nutrient-poor environments, as a model for potential extraterrestrial life.
• The ability to detect life in single ice grains could significantly increase the chances of discovering extraterrestrial life on ocean-bearing moons.
• This breakthrough gives scientists more confidence that upcoming space missions will be able to detect life forms similar to those on Earth.