The Plume of Uncertainty on Europa The prospect of water plumes on Jupiter's moon Europa has long fascinated astronomers and astrobiologists.
In 2014, a study published in Science suggested that intermittent bursts of water vapor were emanating from Europa's surface, sparking hopes of discovering life beyond Earth.
Twelve years later, the same researchers downgraded their confidence level from nearly certain to less than 90%, citing statistical noise as the possible culprit behind their earlier findings.