One of the reasons that I am quite hopeful that we will find other forms of life within our solar system is the extraordinary ability of certain organisms on Earth to survive extreme environments. There are living things that cope with extremes of temperature, pressure, acidity and darkness that we mere surface dwellers could not resist for more than a moment. An example of such an ecosystem is a deep-sea hydrothermal vent. I will let Sir David explain.
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When he says 400 degrees he means Celsius so it is very hot down there. Some bacteria are acting as primary producers, using the energy of the volcano to help them fix carbon dioxide in the water surrounding them into simple organic molecules (chemosynthesis). These molecules can then be turned into carbohydrates and proteins by similar processes that air-breathing organisms use. It is all achieved without light and often without significant available oxygen. It is possible that similar conditions exist somewhere out in the solar system. Perhaps in the saltwater ocean beneath the surface of Enceladus, one of the moons of Saturn.
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Another possibility is Europa, a moon around Jupiter that is thought to have more liquid water than Earth. Unfortunately it is all beneath 10 km of ice so it might be a while before we are drilling down to say hello. If there is underwater volcanic activity there might well be ecosystems similar to those in our deep oceans.
Questions…
- What are the usual products of photosynthesis?
- What structures in plant cells enable photosynthesis?
- To which group of arthropods do shrimp belong?
- Of what does ‘the Earth’s molten core’ consist?
- To which invertebrate phylum do giant tube worms belong?
- How is the taxonomic group species usually defined?
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