Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are collecting samples from a simulated ocean vent to see if they can detect organic molecules being brewed. The NASA Astrobiology Icy Worlds team is sending ocean water and alkaline fluid (originating from inside hydrothermal vents) through a sample of ocean crust to see if such conditions could lead to the formation of the basic building blocks of life. This image shows a vial containing outflow from the set-up.

For more information on the NASA Astrobiology Icy Worlds see http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/.