--- title: "Aliens on Icy Moons Could Look Like Organisms Near Seafloor Volcanoes" description: "Astrobiologists believe that the answer to what alien life could look like on icy moons like Saturn's moon Enceladus could lie deep on the ocean floor." date: "2019-06-28" modified: "2019-06-28" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/aliens-enceladus-hawaii-underwater-volcano" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "Science & Energy" - "Space" tags: - "enceladus" - "Hawaii" - "ocean world" - "saturn" - "the digest" --- # Aliens on Icy Moons Could Look Like Organisms Near Seafloor Volcanoes ![Astrobiologists believe that the answer to what alien life could look like on icy moons like Saturn's moon Enceladus could lie deep on the ocean floor.]() *\Image: NASA/Victor Tangermann\* ## Underwater Volcanos Astrobiologists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) believe that the answer to what alien life could look like on icy moons – like Saturn's moon Enceladus – could actually lie deep in the ocean. More specifically, in the Lo'ihi seamount, an underwater volcano at around 3,200 feet below the surface south east off the coast of Hawaii's Big Island. The researchers, led by Amy Renee Smith, [presented their findings]() at the 2019 Astrobiology Science Conference in Seattle. "This volcano is shallow and isolated, and thus is relevant to the intermediate temperature and low pressure venting that has been inferred for Saturn’s moon Enceladus," reads the abstract of their yet-to-be-published paper. The news comes after scientists from the University of Washington [revealed]() they found evidence that Enceladus could be covered in nutrient-rich oceans earlier this month. ## Mats of Microbes Since Lo'ihi is isolated far from any larger faults or ridges that spew hot magma, it could represent the perfect analog. "We don't expect for plate tectonics to exist on these other worlds," said Smith at the conference, as [quoted by *Live Science*](). "So the conditions in Lō’ihi are probably more likely what we would find." It's not an abundant biosphere of sea life unfortunately. You'll mostly find shrimp and some fish — mostly blankets of local bacteria that are associated with underwater hydrothermal vents. And since those mats of bacteria are quite happy and thriving there, it could give us insights into what Enceladus' oceans could look like. "If that can happen \[on Earth\], maybe I don’t have to worry about how to build a robot that can dive," to Enceladus’ seafloor, Chris German, geochemist at WHOI, [told *Gizmodo*]() in 2018. "Maybe I can just probe the water near the surface" for signs of life. **READ MORE:** [Life on Icy Alien Worlds May Resemble Creatures Under Submerged Hawaiian Volcano]() \[*Live Science*\] **More on Enceladus:** [Saturn's Moon Enceladus Has Nutrient-Rich Oceans]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()