Advancing our understanding of the habitable icy worlds through polar microbiology

Icy moons such as Europa and Enceladus are, beyond Earth, our solar system’s planetary bodies most conducive to support life and to contain the remnants of past life. Earth’s polar analogs prove that life can thrive in niche-specific conditions similar to those of subsurface oceans on the icy moons. Still, key microbiological questions remain that must guide our next steps in probing for life in future space missions. Research in polar microbiology can further illuminate or define possibilities of life in icy worlds.