New studies suggest Enceladus may be more hospitable to life than scientists thought

Two papers in Science Advances, including work led by Freie Universität Berlin’s Frank Postberg, suggest Saturn’s moon Enceladus is more survivable for life and that any life there may be easier to detect. Tidal forces from Saturn heat a global ocean under ice about 22 miles thick at the equator but roughly 3 miles at the south pole, where cryovolcanic plumes shoot water vapor and ice into space.