627 million km (390 million mi)
from Earth,
underneath the cold seas of Europa,
a horrifying,
and vastly intelligent creature lurks.
Can our human minds
even comprehend such an alien creature?
Actually yeah.
It turns out it’s a lot like an octopus.
OK, we promise you
we haven’t totally lost our minds.
The idea of octopus-like creatures
inhabiting Europa
comes from Open University
Professor of Planetary and Space Science
She says that below Europa’s ice sheets,
aliens that resemble octopuses
may dwell.
That gets the imagination reeling.
Let’s argue for a second
that this theory is correct.
Europa is one of Jupiter’s 79 known moons
and is only 627 million km (390 million mi)
from Earth.
It’s covered in ice,
24 km (15 mi) deep,
with the possibility of liquid water underneath.
This ice protects Europa
from solar radiation
and asteroid impacts.
That’s all well and good,
but here’s the kicker.
It's believed Europa’s ocean floor
has hydrothermal vents
and sodium chloride in the water.
What does that mean?
Well, in short,
they’re significant ingredients
needed to support life.
Europa contains the essential ingredients
needed for life,
water,
chemistry,
and energy.
Water is the big one because
it dissolves nutrients for organisms to eat,
transports chemicals within living cells,
and allows those cells to eliminate waste.
And Europa isn't exactly lacking
in the water department.
The ocean beneath the crust
contains more water than Earth’s oceans.
And to argue the alien idea more,
there may be a rocky seafloor
that could supply chemical nutrients
to living organisms.
And in this case,
it’s the octopus.
Now, octopuses are weird.
There’s no arguing that.
I mean, we did a whole video on it.
But some scientists say that
because the evolutionary step
from the nautiloid is so fuzzy,
the only reasonable explanation
is that they’re extraterrestrial.
Does that mean that they came from Europa?
If the news broke that
we had octopuses
swimming up there on Europa,
how would we react?
Well, it would spark a massive push
for new space missions.
If intelligent life like octopuses
are as close to us as Jupiter,
what else is out there?
There may be a push to search for planets
that could support humans.
But here’s the downside.
The more we venture into space,
the greater the risks.
I’m talking about bringing something back.
Now, I’m not talking
about the Xenomorph here.
I’m talking about a harmful microbe
or virus
that may be harmful to human health
or even our ecosystem.
We would need to put some serious thought
into the pros and cons of regular space travel.
We would also need to have
advanced protocols
and laws to prevent contamination
of both Earth
and other planets.
Because we deal with quarantines
so well, right?
So, are there octopus-like creatures
living on Europa?
I mean, maybe?
We still think that octopuses are Earthly,
even if they’re a little weird.
But even if there aren’t any
tentacled, alien neighbors,
we won’t know until we look.
Humans need to continue exploring space.
I mean, it is the next step.
We are growing
in numbers,
in mental capacity,
and definitely in curiosity.
But, what if we didn’t need to go looking
for these alien octopuses?
What if they're already here?
What if the octopuses
we all know and love today,
really are from outer space?
Well, that’s a story for another WHAT IF.