IRISH SCIENTISTS' SPIDER SENSORS

Research team names alien ice form on Jupiter's moon

- BY DANNY DE VAAL

IRISH scientists have named a spider-like feature on Jupiter's icy moon Europa as “Damhán Alla”, which translates to “spider” or “wall demon”.

First observed by NASA's Galileo spacecraft, a study explored how the feature may have formed from briny water eruptions beneath the ice, offering clues about subsurface liquid water and the potential for life.

The scientists are led by University of Central Florida physics Professor Lauren McKeown and Dr Jennifer Scully, both formerly of Trinity College Dublin.

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