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Hello Abe,
You wrote asking whether I believed that there was a liquid ocean
beneath the surface of Europa, and whether I believed that there
is life somewhere in this ocean.
It appears, from the photographs taken by the Galileo spacecraft
that the surface features of the icey suface have "recent" fractures,
consistent with the theory of liquid water that warms, fractures, and
lubricates the ice. If there is liquid water, then an important
pre-requisite for life exists on Europa.
I think I would rather substitute the word "imagine"
for "believe". I can imagine that there might be liquid water, and
if that is true, then I can imagine that there could be life in that
water. My imagination is important - it leads me as a scientist to
ask further questions and to gather more information. But at this
point, the evidence is not incontrovertible. I expect that even
the scientists working on this project would not be willing to say
that they "believe" they have the answers yet. They have a reasonable
(and fascinating) theory. It is a critical discovery to follow up
on because it will give us more information about the conditions
under which life can form.
I hope that helps. Feel free to write again if I have not
answered your question sufficiently!
Best Wishes,
Debra Fischer
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