Salt Water Ocean under Europa

[Al Gorefiend]

This has the potential to ruin space exploration forever. Think about it.

All of the most terrifying creatures on earth are in the ocean. So what if we send a probe to Europa, and the first alien life we ever find looks like this?


Suddenly nobody wants to be an astronaut anymore.

The scariest things in the ocean are always the ones you can't see. I'd be more terrified of some little microbe that latches itself to your eyeball or some scary alien debauchery.

[Mormolyce]

With Europe (the continent) being called Europa in Swedish, this title confused me at first.
But awesome with the discovery

It's only a slight spelling variation in English - from the Latin Europa referring to the mythological woman Zeus turned into a bull.

Apparently the original Greek was Europe. How amusing.

[Deleted]

And if/when we managed to establish a human base on Europa - the challenges of such a task are way outside our current scientific knowledge and technology - I'm sure we'd have figured out some other fuel source by then, so we probably wouldn't even consider finding oil.

In fact, what we would be all over would be the water!

ba-dum-tshhhhhhhhh!

No, really. By then it's more than likely we have finally mastered nuclear fusion (we will have run out of "10 more years plox"s). So our biggest source of fuel will be... water!

[Applenazi]

...there is a much bigger chance we will find bacterial life on Europa than Mars and if anything that is the most important discovery of all time...

How would this be even remotely the most important discovery of all time? Finding bacteria on another planet would likely not even be the most important discovery of this year.

[semaphore]

How would this be even remotely the most important discovery of all time? Finding bacteria on another planet would likely not even be the most important discovery of this year.

How could it possibly not be? Discovering alien life heralds the awakening of our nascent species onto the galactic stage. It proves that we are not alone in the universe, and fundamentally shape our understanding of the probabilities of life. It would, without a doubt, be the most monumental discovery in human history up to this point.

[Sayl]

How could it possibly not be?

I know, right? Kids these days make for a tough crowd.

[Nanaboostme]

How would this be even remotely the most important discovery of all time? Finding bacteria on another planet would likely not even be the most important discovery of this year.

<snipped meme>

Infracted: Please refrain from posting memes.

[Deleted]

How could it possibly not be? Discovering alien life heralds the awakening of our nascent species onto the galactic stage. It proves that we are not alone in the universe, and fundamentally shape our understanding of the probabilities of life. It would, without a doubt, be the most monumental discovery in human history up to this point.

Not in bacterial form. Tbh, they already discovered alien life aka bacteria in some sort of meteorite if I'm right. Forgot where I got the source from, but sure was accurate. So, there's your biggest discovery of the universe!

But seriously, don't mix alien life and bacteria in a wrong way. Sure, I know alien bacteria are awesome if they have totally unique possibilities in a biochemistral way. But it's only going to get awesome (aka the biggest discovery humanity ever made) if we find some sort complex organism. Ofcourse the biggest discovery of all time would be if we find some life form who can think, which we hope don't get mad at us. But think about it, bacteria is nothing special if you look at it biologically, it could form almost everywhere here on Earth. But okay, everything alien is still exciting, but some small bacterial life form is already found, only not on a planet. And it's not announced as the biggest discovery humanity has ever made

[Shinzai]

This has the potential to ruin space exploration forever. Think about it.

All of the most terrifying creatures on earth are in the ocean. So what if we send a probe to Europa, and the first alien life we ever find looks like this?


Suddenly nobody wants to be an astronaut anymore.

And thus, the real life Lost Planet begins. NASA and the US Intergalactic Marine Corps taking on new members to conquer Europa. Sponsored by Capcom.

[semaphore]

Not in bacterial form.

Life is life is life.

Whatever form it takes, it would be the discovery of an alien lifeform, a direct proof that humanity is not alone.

Tbh, they already discovered alien life aka bacteria in some sort of meteorite if I'm right.

Nope, you're wrong.

Forgot where I got the source from, but sure was accurate.

Fox News?

But seriously, don't mix alien life and bacteria in a wrong way.

Alien bacteria IS alien life. That's not a matter of mixing anything.

But okay, everything alien is still exciting, but some small bacterial life form is already found, only not on a planet.And it's not announced as the biggest discovery humanity has ever made

Yeah, because it's not true. Shocking, I know.

[semaphore]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...7252KQ20110307

It's not 100% sure but I guess he meant this.

That's what I guessed too. IIRC, this was the original that the rest of the so-called news establishment regurgitated: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/...ife-meteorite/

[galluk]

You'd need to build drilling ships capable of fighting those things, and find crews willing to man them. On the upside, in addition to the oil you drilled, you'd also be able to process more oil from the corpses of the ones you killed.

And you wouldn't even have to worry about over-fishing them. Because honestly, who's going to complain if something like that goes extinct?

Still, one of my biggest fears as a space explorer would be finding myself in the wrong scene of a Starship Troopers re-enactment...

I would be less worried about Starship Troopers. Imagine if they found a race of intelligent, tentacled creatures. Maybe anime has been right all along.