Scientists are updating chemistry models to track down life on icy moons

Rows of canyons and peaks stretch vertically across the surface of a barren landscape. Plumes of white mist spew from the depths of the rightmost canyon. A crescent planet is scene in the dark, starry sky near upper left of center, with a small bright star shining to its lower left.

Scientists are turning to chemical modeling to determine whether icy moons in our solar system have what it takes to host life — microbial life, that is.

In general, chemistry models are crucial for understanding the conditions that could support life as we know it on other planets. This is achieved through modeling various factors, including climate, interstellar environments, biosignatures that are like life's fingerprints, and the overall chemical processes that might occur in these places. But what exactly are we looking for when it comes to "habitability?" A blue paradise — or, the bare minimum?