Alex McColgan

Our planet is not so special.

Given the thermodynamic pressure for the emergence of life, it seems as though life on another planet is an inevitability.

There is volcanic activity on moons orbiting Saturn and Jupiter, providing a similar environment beneath the surface to Earth too, which is why scientists are so interested in exploring the icy moons orbiting our nearby planets.

Hydrogen-rich volcanic plumes, just like those from our deep sea vents, have been observed erupting from the surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus.

Despite the extreme speed with which life appeared to emerge on Earth, the time to go from single-celled to multi-celled was 1.5 billion years.

It's clearly a hard jump in complexity to evolve communication and cooperation between cells, let alone interplanetary communication with alien lifeforms, so although we haven't found signs of life elsewhere yet, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

With all this, looking up to the stars, the way all these molecules work together, it's hard to feel alone in the universe.

The early Earth seemed ideal for life to emerge, but then, even if it was less hospitable, there is always a chance.

As Dr. Ian Malcolm said in Jurassic Park, life, uh, finds a way.

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This is Enceladus, Saturn's sixth largest moon.

A tiny world orbiting a giant planet.

But don't let its seemingly unimpressive size fool you.