Ice‑ocean churn as habitability engine

New models suggest water–ice phase dynamics and local boiling under thin shells can generate much more subsurface activity on small icy moons than previously thought. That activity produces distinctive surface features and intermittent heat fluxes that could concentrate chemical energy and biosignatures within reach of flyby/lander instruments. — If true, this reframes where and how space agencies allocate missions and instruments to detect life, turning some previously 'cold' moons into higher‑priority targets and altering mission timelines and budgets.