See a recording of this event on our Facebook video page or YouTube channel.

Where is the best place to find life beyond Earth? We often look to Mars as the most promising site in our solar system, but recent scientific missions have revealed that some of the most habitable real estate may actually lie farther away. Beneath the frozen crusts of several of the small, ice-covered moons of Jupiter and Saturn lurk vast oceans that may have been in existence for as long as Earth, and together may contain more than fifty times its total volume of liquid water. Could there be organisms living in their depths? Kevin Peter Hand’s book Alien Oceans: The Search for Life in the Depths of Space reveals the science behind the thrilling quest to find out.

Kevin Peter Hand is one of today’s leading NASA scientists, and his pioneering research has taken him on expeditions around the world. At this special online Science on Tap, he will bring together insights from planetary science, biology, and the adventures of scientists like himself to explain how we know that oceans exist within moons of the outer solar system, like Europa, Titan, and Enceladus. He’ll discuss how the exploration of Earth’s ocean is informing our understanding of the potential habitability of these icy moons, and draws lessons from what we have learned about the origins of life on our own planet to consider how life could arise on these distant worlds.

Two suggestions for purchasing the book Alien Oceans:
1) Support a local Vancouver small business and purchase your book through Vintage Books. They are offering online sales, shipping, and curbside pickup.

2) Purchase your book through the Princeton University Press website and receive a 20% discount by using the code HAND20-FG at checkout. (Note: The coupon code is ONLY valid on the Princeton site.)