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Implications of H2/CO2 disequilibrium for life on Enceladus

The combination of hydrogen and carbon dioxide in the ocean of Enceladus represents chemical energy that could support life — but should we expect to see any energy ‘left on the table’ if anything alive is actually there to use it?

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Fig. 1: Residual energy signatures in methanogenic systems on Earth and Enceladus.

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Correspondence to Tori M. Hoehler.

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Hoehler, T.M. Implications of H2/CO2 disequilibrium for life on Enceladus. Nat Astron 6, 3–4 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-021-01583-x

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