The NYUAD’s CASS study shows that cosmic rays may not only be harmless in certain subsurface environments, but could actively fuel microscopic life
A groundbreaking study from NYU Abu Dhabi has revealed that cosmic rays — high-energy particles from space — could provide the energy needed to support life beneath the surfaces of planets and moons in our solar system.
The research, published in the International Journal of Astrobiology, challenges long-standing beliefs that life requires sunlight or geothermal heat to survive.
Led by Dimitra Atri, principal investigator of the Space Exploration Laboratory at NYUAD’s Center for Astrophysics and Space Science (CASS), the study shows that cosmic rays may not only be harmless in certain subsurface environments, but could actively fuel microscopic life.
The process, known as radiolysis, occurs when cosmic rays interact with water or ice underground, breaking water molecules and releasing electrons.
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Energy source for microorganisms
Some Earth bacteria use these electrons as an energy source, much like plants rely on sunlight.
Using advanced computer simulations, the team examined how much energy radiolysis could generate on Mars and on the icy moons Enceladus (Saturn) and Europa (Jupiter).
Enceladus showed the highest potential to support life, followed by Mars and Europa.
Research breakthrough
“This discovery changes the way we think about where life might exist,” said Atri. “Instead of looking only for warm planets with sunlight, we can now consider places that are cold and dark, as long as they have some water beneath the surface and are exposed to cosmic rays. Life might be able to survive in more places than we ever imagined.”
Radiolytic Habitable Zone
The study introduces the concept of the Radiolytic Habitable Zone — a new way of identifying potentially life-supporting environments not based on proximity to a star, but on the presence of subsurface water and exposure to cosmic radiation.
This expands the possibilities for habitable worlds beyond the traditional “Goldilocks Zone”, also known as the habitable zone. It is the region around a star where a planet’s temperature is suitable for liquid water to exist on its surface.
Redefining future space exploration
The findings provide critical direction for future space exploration. Rather than focusing solely on surface conditions, missions may begin targeting underground environments on Mars and icy moons, using instruments designed to detect the chemical energy generated by cosmic radiation.
The research opens exciting new frontiers in the search for extraterrestrial life, suggesting that even the darkest, coldest places in the solar system could harbor the necessary conditions for life to survive.