Scientists used a method from ecology to identify whether icy moons could hold conditions for life

Future missions may be able to take only a small, damaged sample from space back to Earth. A simple analysis tool could help determine whether its contents suggest the presence of life.

By: Gideon Yoffe, Weizmann Institute of Science, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: May 29, 2026

Words: 1,276

Last Updated: 1 month, 3 weeks ago

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By Gideon Yoffe, Weizmann Institute of Science

New observatories and spacecraft missions are probing environments in our solar system that could potentially host life but have long remained hidden. Icy moons like Saturn’s Enceladus and Jupiter’s Europa likely contain oceans beneath frozen outer shells. But a layer of ice prohibits space probes from sampling them directly.

Exploring these icy moons is almost forensic: Their surfaces keep a partial record of inaccessible interiors. …

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