2026-09-19T01:14:25Zhttps://dspace.mit.edu/server/oai/requestoai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/761382026-06-06T01:05:58Zcom_1721.1_7582com_1721.1_7581col_1721.1_131023
Marcia Bartusiak.
Fitzpatrick, Garret R
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Graduate Program in Science Writing.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Graduate Program in Science Writing
MIT Program in Writing & Humanistic Studies
2013-01-07T21:24:00Z
2013-01-07T21:24:00Z
2012
2012
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/76138
821883423
Thesis (S.M. in Science Writing)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Humanities, Graduate Program in Science Writing, 2012.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 23-24).
Hydrothermal vents on Earth's seafloor host entire ecosystems that live off energy from chemosynthesis rather than photosynthesis. This energy process uses chemical reactions between metals and hot gases from inside Earth's mantle to fuel thriving communities of exotic organisms. Some researchers think life originated at these vents and if they're right, that means there's a chance life could have also originated near similar hydrothermal vents on other planets or moons. One of the most promising places to search is the suspected sub-ice ocean on Jupiter's moon, Europa. This is the story of humankind's efforts to understand the origins of life by looking for it in extreme environments where life thrives without relying on the sun as an energy source. It follows an oceanographic expedition to the Mid-Cayman Rise, led by Chris German of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and NASA's efforts to plan a future mission to Europa. By understanding how life can live without the sun, we may discover how life began on our planet and whether or not Earth is the only place in the universe capable of supporting a biosphere.
by Garret R. Fitzpatrick.
S.M. in Science Writing
24 p.
eng
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M.I.T. theses are protected by
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http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
Graduate Program in Science Writing.
Searching for life where the sun don't shine : explorations to the seafloors of Earth and Europa
Explorations to the seafloors of Earth and Europa
Thesis
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<Abstract>Hydrothermal vents on Earth's seafloor host entire ecosystems that live off energy from chemosynthesis rather than photosynthesis. This energy process uses chemical reactions between metals and hot gases from inside Earth's mantle to fuel thriving communities of exotic organisms. Some researchers think life originated at these vents and if they're right, that means there's a chance life could have also originated near similar hydrothermal vents on other planets or moons. One of the most promising places to search is the suspected sub-ice ocean on Jupiter's moon, Europa. This is the story of humankind's efforts to understand the origins of life by looking for it in extreme environments where life thrives without relying on the sun as an energy source. It follows an oceanographic expedition to the Mid-Cayman Rise, led by Chris German of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and NASA's efforts to plan a future mission to Europa. By understanding how life can live without the sun, we may discover how life began on our planet and whether or not Earth is the only place in the universe capable of supporting a biosphere.</Abstract>
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