Space radiation can produce some organic molecules detected on icy moons

This article was originally published at Eos. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

New laboratory research suggests that some organic molecules previously detected in plumes erupting from Saturn’s moon Enceladus may be products of natural radiation, rather than originating from the moon’s subsurface ocean. This discovery complicates the assessment of the astrobiological relevance of these compounds.

Enceladus hides a global ocean buried beneath its frozen crust. Material from this liquid reservoir is ejected into space from cracks in the ice near the south pole, forming plumes of dust-sized ice particles that extend for hundreds of kilometers. While most of this material falls back onto the surface, some remains in orbit, becoming part o