Cosmic rays could help support alien life on worlds outside the 'Goldilocks zone'

Cosmic rays may enable alien life to thrive beyond the traditional "Goldilocks zone," researchers suggest. A proposed "radiolytic habitable zone" could support life deep underwater or in ice on worlds with thin atmospheres. Simulations show cosmic radiation could penetrate below the surface of planets and moons, breaking apart water molecules to potentially power biological activity. Saturn's moon Enceladus shows the highest potential for such life, expanding the concept of habitable environments in the search for extraterrestrial organisms.