10 Places Most Likely To Harbour Alien Life

10. Io

Io, the third largest moon orbiting Jupiter, seems like an unlikely choice for the cradle of life, due to the 400+ active volcanoes on its surface, wildly variable surface temperatures and deadly ionized gasses swirling about its atmosphere. Io orbits Jupiter in a band of radiation called the Io plasma torus that would quickly kill anything on its surface.

However, some scientists believe that Io wasn't always the vision of hell that it is today, and that the early Io might have had plenty of liquid water on its surface that has since all been evaporated by the violent volcanic activity. 

It is thought that these ancient lakes could have been a nursery for life that has since retreated below the moon's troubled surface, clinging to life in the underground lava tubes and sustained by the energy given off by the volcanic activity.

Unfortunately, even if Io is home to a race of alien mole people, we're unlikely to find them any time soon as it would require a large-scale mining operation that we simply don't have technology or funding for at the moment. Due to the aforementioned hellish surface, we can't exactly expect them to poke their heads out either.

If we were to discover even the simplest organic life on Io, it would stand us in pretty good stead for discovering it elsewhere as, if life can survive the radioactive oven of Io, it can survive anywhere.