Peptides can form well-defined structures in harsh, Venus-like conditions
MIT researchers have discovered that short peptides can remain stable and form complex structures in the highly acidic, sulfuric acid-rich clouds of Venus. This finding expands the potential environments where life-sustaining molecules could exist.
Why it matters
It challenges the traditional 'Earth-twin' focus in astrobiology and suggests that life's building blocks could survive in extreme planetary conditions.
edited by Swati Mestri , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add as preferred source Credit: NASA When exploring solar system bodies for signs of past or present life, scientists have mainly focused on planets that have (or had) a liquid surface similar to Earth's. However, mounting evidence suggests that the ingredients for life may exist in a very different environment: the highly acidic clouds that blanket Venus.
Those clouds are made up of about 98% sulfuric acid, which scientists had believed to be too acidic for complex biological molecules to survive. But in a new study, MIT researchers have shown that short peptides can not only remain stable in these extremely acidic conditions, but also fold into shapes that may allow them to have biological functions.
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