"Ice Planet" "Starting from Pluto, a Hot and Watery Planet"

Contradicting the existing theory that life began on an ice chunk planet
If oceans existed from the early birth, possibility of life formation exists
Research team "Exact conditions for life emergence still unknown"

Pluto, which was successfully captured up close by NASA's New Horizons deep space probe in July 2015. / Photo by NASA

[Asia Economy Reporter Seunggon Han, Intern Reporter Juhyung Lim] Pluto, covered in ice at the edge of the solar system, was originally a hot planet, and it is speculated that there was an ocean beneath its frozen surface from its early formation, according to a new study.

A research team led by Professor Francis Nimmo of the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) claimed in a paper published on the 22nd (local time) in the latest issue of the scientific journal Nature Geoscience that "Pluto may have formed in a hot state from its early days."

Previous theories explained that Pluto started in a "cold state" composed of rock and ice chunks, and later, heat generated by the decay of radioactive materials inside the planet melted the ice, creating an ocean.

However, Dr. Nimmo's team, after analyzing Pluto's internal thermal evolution simulation models and surface images taken by NASA's deep space probe New Horizons, proposed the opposite theory that Pluto began as a hot planet, and thus an ocean made of water existed from its early formation.

In the abstract of the paper published in Nature, the research team explained, "Recent images of Pluto's surface revealed ridges and valleys," which "serve as evidence of early expansion."

The internal structure of Pluto. The surface is covered with a layer of ice, and beneath it is believed to be a liquid ocean and a rocky core. / Photo by NASA

According to the research team, during Pluto's early formation, successive collisions with asteroids transferred heat, leading to the formation of an ocean beneath the ice layer. Later, as temperatures dropped again, the water froze. Since water expands when it freezes, the ice that was originally ocean water expanded, causing cracks in the crust.

This study also reveals that conditions suitable for the emergence of life on Pluto were established. The ocean beneath the ice layer is relatively warm, allowing life to grow, and the environment is less likely to change abruptly due to external factors.

Carver Beirson, a graduate student at UCSC and the first author of the paper, said in an interview with the U.S. broadcaster CNN on the 22nd, "We still do not fully understand the conditions necessary for life to emerge," but added, "On Earth, liquid water is believed to have been an important condition for the emergence of life."

He continued, "If liquid water has almost always existed beneath Pluto's ice layer, the water would have chemically interacted with the planet's rocky core," adding, "This could have produced more chemical substances in Pluto's ocean."

He also explained, "Whether that constitutes the right conditions for life to emerge is unknown," and said, "To answer the question of whether life could exist on Pluto, we need to learn more about how life forms."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.