NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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  1. Question

    Where else in the solar system are scientists looking for signs of life?

    While Mars and Europa currently hold the spotlight, other planets and celestial objects have caught our interest in the search for life and its origins. Saturn's moon Titan, for example, is probably far too cold to support any known biochemical substances, but its known lakes and thick atmosphere are of interest to scientists because they may tell us more about the origins of present geology and eventual life on Earth. Likewise, Jupiter is known to have water floating through its immense gaseous skies. While any life present would have to somehow maintain a constant altitude in the warmer depths of the gas planet, the presence of life on Jupiter is not impossible and remains of some interest. In addition, meteorites are of astrobiological interest because they can tell us more about the probabilities of life surviving the harsh conditions of interstellar space travel. Anna Lee Strachan, NASA Astrobiology Institute
    May 1, 2002