Earth microbes survive simulated conditions of Saturn moon’s ocean

Observations of Enceladus have revealed it emits massive plumes of water vapour into space, suggesting a saltwater ocean exists under its frozen crust. Photograph: Universal Images Group/Getty Images

From the moment scientists spotted plumes of water erupting from Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons, it became the most tantalising place in the solar system to search for life beyond Earth.

Now the case is even more compelling after researchers found that organisms that live in deep-sea waters off Japan can survive the harsh conditions expected in the briny ocean that lurks beneath Enceladus’s icy crust.