Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: accp on 23/06/2010 09:30:03

Title: Could life evolve as a fish-shaped body in an ocean of liquid methane?
Post by: accp on 23/06/2010 09:30:03

accp asked the Naked Scientists:
   
Could life evolve into shape of a fish in an ocean of liquid methane? That means a fish whose body temperature could be -198 degrees C!

Is this biologically mechanically possible? Can liquid hydrocarbons create complex life?

What do you think?

Title: Could life evolve as a fish-shaped body in an ocean of liquid methane?
Post by: SeanB on 23/06/2010 19:32:11

Evolution selects for what suits the envoronment. Scaled fish, sharks and dolphins have a very similar body shape, despite being quite different. Thus I forsee no reason why life if present as a complex organism will not exhibit fish like body on Europa. The cold would mean that most chemical reactions of life would happen slowly, and it would probably not be something we could communicate with or observe easily. They are living icicles and we are a blast furnace hotter than the sun.