There Is Life on Europa...........

Europa the 6^th largest moon of the Solar system is supposed to be a dead ice ball with less chance of harboring 'life as we know it'. It is too far from the sun to receive adequate sun light to maintain plant life: the base of life as earth found it. It's ice layer is so thick that not even sun light; the amount that filters through, could reach far. The atmosphere is too thin to keep human tissues from swelling out. Surprisingly it contains a considerable amount of oxygen. The subaqueous volcanoes still keep the water below the thick layer of ice. The volcanic eruptions and the magnetic waves from Jupiter dragging the ice layers produce enough heat for the organisms to survive. The life between ice cold water and lava is an existing example for the concept of 'deep hell'.
That is the condition of the Europa as man kind ever knew it. The situation was so different about 25 million years ago. Earth was younger and Europa was much younger. 25 million years may be so huge for human beings but for a solar system aging for more than 5 billion years its not large at all.

The first intelligent Europian was nothing like a human. They were amphibians evolved mostly under the ocean covering the entire planet. The thin atmosphere was enough for them to look up and see the distant sun setting behind the giant parent, Jupiter. Some of the Europian plants did photosynthesis just like earth plants, but not all. Some were highly dependent on the sulfates and carbonates firing out from the volcanic eruptions. The plants which used the sunlight did emit much oxygen to keep its weak atmosphere and the powerful ocean filled in.
They had to follow a completely different path to accomplish what human accomplished. Fire was not to be made as pleased, but they had to be in the place where heat was satisfactory. But luckily locations with heat were not scarce and they were in the best place they could be. The technology of the Europians began on the tips of volcanoes where the heat was good and the metal was in abundance; the exact place they ,them selves were born.
Their technology never reached the limit for them to leave the planet. Reaching the stars were not ever in their priorities. They were trapped between the vast ocean and sea floor. Explorations were carried out to search the sea and the ice layers but never above that. They had followed a completely different path in technology to do space explorations and they were stuck.
Climate changed with time and Europa got cold with the limitation of volcanic activities. The gravitational pull of the Jupiter was not enough to keep it stable. Europa was about to enter the ICE age. The Europians found safer locations to keep the survivors of their kind, under the sea; far far under for any one to reach or see. The climax of their intelligence was reached long back.
But just like any intelligent species would; they could snap out of the mental barrier once the environment conditions would resettle. Who can ever tell it will not.......?