With liquid water underneath its icy surface, Jupiter’s moon Europa is often cited as a potential site for extraterrestrial life. What other compounds would indicate that chemosynthesis supports life on the planet?(1 point)

Question

Responses

glucose
glucose

hydrogen peroxide
hydrogen peroxide

oxygen
oxygen

methane

Answer 1

Chemosynthesis is a process where certain organisms, typically bacteria, obtain energy from inorganic compounds rather than sunlight, often using substances like hydrogen sulfide or methane. For the presence of life that relies on chemosynthesis, certain compounds could indicate metabolic processes are occurring.

Among the options provided, methane would be the most relevant compound indicating that chemosynthesis might support life, especially since some organisms on Earth utilize methane in their metabolic processes.

Therefore, the best answer is methane.