Astronomy
Is there life on Venus? MIT’s recent discovery of amino acid stability has been described as “absolutely surprising”
It appears that the clouds of Venus may provide a suitable environment for certain types of organisms.
There could potentially be life in the solar system beyond Earth, specifically in the clouds of Venus. Unlike the harsh conditions on the planet’s surface, the cloud layer of Venus, located 30 to 40 miles above, experiences more moderate temperatures that may be conducive to the survival of certain extreme life forms.
Scientists have speculated that if there are any inhabitants in the clouds of Venus, they would likely have distinct characteristics compared to life forms on Earth. That’s because the clouds are composed of extremely harmful sulfuric acid droplets, a corrosive chemical that can dissolve metals and break down biological molecules.
However, a recent study by MIT researchers may offer a different viewpoint. The study, published on March 18 in the journal Astrobiology, reveals that certain essential components of life can remain stable in highly concentrated sulfuric acid solutions.
According to the study’s findings, it has been discovered that 19 crucial amino acids for sustaining life on our planet can remain stable for a duration of four weeks when exposed to vials of sulfuric acid at concentrations comparable to those found in the clouds of Venus. It was discovered that the molecular structure of all 19 amino acids remained unchanged when exposed to sulfuric acid solutions with concentrations ranging from 81 to 98 percent.
According to Janusz Petkowski, a research affiliate in MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS), it is quite astonishing that concentrated sulfuric acid does not universally harm organic chemistry as a solvent.
According to study author Sara Seager, a professor at MIT, the stability of the building blocks of life in sulfuric acid is quite fascinating. This discovery raises interesting questions about the potential for life on Venus. “Life in that place may not be identical to life in this location.” Clearly, it is impossible. However, this research suggests that the clouds on Venus may have the necessary conditions to sustain complex chemicals essential for life.
A group of researchers, including William Bains, a scientist at Cardiff University and a research affiliate at MIT, and Maxwell Seager, an undergraduate in the Department of Chemistry at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Seager’s son, conducted the study.
Foundations in Acid
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the search for life in Venus’ clouds. The discovery of phosphine, a molecule frequently linked to the existence of life, in the planet’s atmosphere has sparked interest. While the detection is still a topic of debate, the recent news has sparked renewed interest in the possibility of life on Earth’s sister planet.
Scientists are currently planning multiple missions to Venus, including an upcoming mission that is being largely privately funded. California-based launch company Rocket Lab is supporting this mission. Seager leads the scientific investigation of a mission that intends to send a spacecraft into the planet’s clouds to study their chemical composition and search for organic molecules.
Similar to an information security analyst, Seager and her colleagues have been conducting tests on different molecules in concentrated sulfuric acid. Their goal is to identify which fragments of life on Earth could potentially survive in the highly acidic clouds of Venus, which are significantly more acidic than any known places on our planet. These experiments are crucial in preparing for the mission’s launch in January 2025.
According to Petkowski, there is a common misconception about concentrated sulfuric acid being an incredibly potent solvent that can dissolve anything. “However, it appears that our findings contradict this assumption.”
Interestingly, the team has previously demonstrated the remarkable stability of complex organic molecules, such as certain fatty acids and nucleic acids, in sulfuric acid. It is crucial to remember that while complex organic chemistry is not the same as life, it is necessary for life to exist, as the scientists emphasize in their most recent paper.
Put simply, if specific molecules can endure in sulfuric acid, it’s possible that the extremely acidic clouds of Venus could support life, even if it’s not currently inhabited.
In their latest study, the team shifted their attention towards amino acids, which are crucial molecules that come together to form vital proteins, each serving a distinct purpose. Every organism on our planet relies on amino acids to produce proteins, which are essential for various vital processes such as digestion, energy production, muscle development, and tissue repair.
Based on our findings, it has been shown that certain fatty acids can create micelles and vesicles in sulfuric acid, while the nucleic acid bases remain stable in this environment. These observations contribute to our understanding of the four fundamental components of life. According to Maxwell Seager, there is evidence of carbohydrates being extremely reactive in sulfuric acid. After examining all the other major building blocks, we were left with amino acids to study.
A Reliable Foundation
During the pandemic, the scientists conducted their studies on sulfuric acid in a home laboratory. Since that time, Seager and her son continued their research on chemistry in concentrated sulfuric acid. In early 2023, a request was made for powder samples of 20 amino acids that are crucial for sustaining life on Earth. They mixed different types of amino acids with a solution of sulfuric acid and water, using concentrations that mimic those found in Venus’ clouds.
After incubating the vials for a day, the team proceeded to transport them to MIT’s Department of Chemistry Instrumentation Facility (DCIF). This facility is a shared laboratory that provides MIT scientists with access to a range of automated and manual instruments, available 24/7. Seager and her team utilized the lab’s nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer to examine the composition of amino acids in sulfuric acid.
Upon thorough examination over a span of four weeks, the scientists made an unexpected discovery. They found that the fundamental molecular structure, specifically the “backbone,” of 19 out of the 20 amino acids remained remarkably stable and unaltered, even when exposed to highly acidic conditions.
“Merely demonstrating the stability of this backbone in sulfuric acid does not imply the existence of life on Venus,” remarks Maxwell Seager. “However, demonstrating the compromise of this crucial infrastructure would have dire consequences for our way of life.”
According to Sanjay Limaye, a planetary scientist at the University of Wisconsin who has extensively researched Venus, the idea of life existing in sulfuric acid is not as implausible as it may seem. This is due to the recent finding that certain amino acids and nucleic acids can remain stable in 98 percent sulfuric acid. Undoubtedly, there are numerous challenges to overcome, but it would be unwise to underestimate the resilience of life that has thrived in water and successfully adapted to sulfuric acid.
The team recognizes that the chemistry of Venus’ clouds is probably more complex than the controlled conditions of the study. As an information security analyst, it is important to note that scientists have conducted measurements on a range of trace gases found in the planet’s clouds, along with sulfuric acid. Incorporating certain trace gases in future experiments is part of the team’s plan.
“According to Sara Seager, there are only a few groups in the world currently focused on chemistry in sulfuric acid, and they all acknowledge the lack of intuition in this field.” It is quite satisfying to see that this recent discovery further supports the potential existence of life on Venus.
If there are extraterrestrial civilizations within a reasonable distance capable of detecting our unintentional transmissions, there exists a possibility, albeit small, that among the initial signals they intercept, they could receive the commencement of the 1936 Olympic Games. Therefore, in the unlikely event that they do receive these signals, we might come across a speech by Adolf Hitler during our first encounter with an alien species.
“Naturally, this was not the initial transmission,” clarified Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer at SETI, during an interview with RealClearScience. “However, it was emitted at a sufficiently high frequency to penetrate the ionosphere.”
In the movie Contact, this ultimately became the initial communication that mankind received from an extraterrestrial society. The entities promptly returned the signal to Earth, unaware of the profound consequences that transmitting broadcasts of Adolf Hitler from outer space would have on the targeted species they were endeavoring to establish communication with. It is similar to greeting a random person and then unintentionally reciting a chapter from Mein Kampf.
Fortunately, it is highly likely that we won’t encounter this issue because extraterrestrial civilizations shouldn’t be able to distinguish the signal strengths.
“The power consumption would have been minimal, and the antenna used would not have had a specific direction,” Shostak elaborated. “The notion that extraterrestrial beings might intercept it is highly improbable.”
However, it is possible that we may receive significantly more alarming initial communications, as individuals have been deliberating on X (Twitter) and Reddit.
What would be the scariest message humanity could receive from outer space? pic.twitter.com/HKEzb7JBnI
— Curiosity (@MAstronomers) April 21, 2024
It appears that people are primarily focused on receiving warnings from extraterrestrial civilizations right now, possibly as a result of a recent unnamed television series.
What would be the scariest message humanity could receive from outer space?
byu/silly_vasily inAskReddit
"Be quite they will hear you!"
— Adam Taylor (@ATaylorFPGA) April 21, 2024
According to certain proposed resolutions to the Fermi Paradox, which ask why we haven’t detected any signs of advanced extraterrestrial civilizations, the explanation is that these civilizations are intentionally concealing their presence due to the apprehension of their own annihilation.
Another concern is the possibility of receiving an unclear message that extraterrestrial beings will provide us with limited information, apart from the fact that they are en route.
What would be the scariest message humanity could receive from outer space? pic.twitter.com/HKEzb7JBnI
— Curiosity (@MAstronomers) April 21, 2024
What would be the scariest message humanity could receive from outer space?
byu/silly_vasily inAskReddit
One theory, called the Zoo Hypothesis, is related to this topic. The theory posits that extraterrestrial beings possess knowledge of our existence but deliberately confine us within a designated “zoo” to allow for our evolutionary and societal development. This parallels humanity’s practice of preserving certain areas as nature reserves and refraining from engaging with uncontacted tribes. Based on this hypothesis, it is possible that we may receive contact once we have reached a satisfactory level of technological and societal development and potentially be accepted into a community of other galaxies.
Although there is a prevailing apprehension that initiating communication with an extraterrestrial civilization will probably elicit fear due to humanity’s historical tendency to fear the unfamiliar, there is a potentially more alarming notion.
Orbex, a small launch company based in the UK, got more money from backers, including Scotland’s national bank. The company is now getting ready for its first orbital launch, but the date for that mission has not yet been set.
With its start in 2015, Orbex is one of only a few companies in Europe racing to make the next generation of launch vehicles. The retirement of the Ariane 5 and big delays to the Ariane 6 and Vega C rockets have left a huge gap that these companies are trying to fill. Without these vehicles, there is almost no native launch capacity coming out of Europe.
But Orbex also has a chance because of his absence. The company is working on what is sometimes called a “microlauncher.” It is a two-stage vehicle called Prime that is only 19 meters tall and can take up to 180 kilograms of payload. Rocket Lab’s Electron is the most similar. It’s only a meter shorter, but it can take up to 300 kilograms.
The fact that Orbex is small is not a problem for the company. In fact, Orbex CEO Philip Chambers told TechCrunch via email that the company is seeing “positive market conditions” for its product.
“There is a pent-up demand for sovereign launch capabilities,” he said. “We are seeing an exponential growth of satellites being launched into LEO, and demand for launch is far exceeding supply. At the moment, it’s not possible to launch a single kilogram from Europe.” “We will let European customers choose how to launch their own payloads and let them launch European payloads from European soil.”
Prime will take off from a new spaceport being built with money from the UK’s national space agency in Sutherland, which is in northern Scotland. The end goal is to use a patented recovery technique that the company calls REFLIGHT. This is an interstage device that sits between the rocket stages. When the booster comes off, four “petals” will unfold and, along with a parachute, create enough drag for a soft landing in the ocean.
It’s possible that a bigger car will be made in the future, but Chambers made it clear that Prime was the company’s top goal. He did say, though, that many of the rocket’s main technologies could be used with bigger packages.
Considering the laws of physics, it would be logical for Orbex to explore the option of using larger vehicles in order to compete on cost per kg.
The company is starting its Series D round with £16.7 million ($20.7 million) in new funding, including investments from Octopus Ventures, BGF, Heartcore, EIFO, and other contributors. Following the closure of a £40.4 million ($50 million) Series C in October 2022, Orbex has secured additional capital. Although a spokesperson has confirmed that the new funding will assist Orbex in accelerating the development of Prime, ensuring its readiness and scalability for the launch period, the specific launch window has not been announced yet.
Astronomy
The Ingenuity team at NASA has received their last communication, however, the Mars helicopter is still operational
The NASA Ingenuity team said goodbye to the helicopter robot and got one last message before splitting up. But ingenuity isn’t really dead yet; it will still be collecting data on Mars.
It’s a great little robot, and in April 2021, it was the first to fly powered and controlled on a planet other than Earth. That’s not easy to do because conditions on Mars are so different.
“The Red Planet has a much lower gravity—one-third that of Earth’s—and an extremely thin atmosphere with only 1% of Earth’s pressure at the surface,” NASA said in a press release after Ingenuity’s first flight. “This means there are relatively few air molecules with which Ingenuity’s two 4-foot-wide (1.2-meter-wide) rotor blades can interact to achieve flight.”
It was planned for the helicopter, which was really just a prototype, to make five flights over 30 days on Mars. Instead, it made 72 flights over 1,000 days. NASA started to use it to get a bird’s-eye view of Mars and find interesting places for Perseverance to go back and look at more closely.
On the 72nd flight, unfortunately, Ingenuity had to make an emergency landing and lost touch with Perseverance. When they got in touch again, pictures from the helicopter showed that a rotor was badly damaged, so Ingenuity would not be able to fly again.
Even though the helicopter can’t fly anymore, it can still gather information and send it to Perseverance. Perseverance then sends the information to Earth through NASA’s Deep Space Network. Before the Ingenuity team broke up, they got one last message from Ingenuity and ate cake to celebrate.
“I’m sorry, Dylan Thomas, but Ingenuity will not be going gently into that good Martian night,” said Josh Anderson, lead of the Ingenuity team at JPL. “It’s hard to believe that she still has something to give after more than 1,000 days on Mars’ surface, 72 flights, and one rough landing.” Because of how hard this amazing team worked, not only did Ingenuity do better than we thought it would, but it may also teach us new things in the years to come.
After stopping in “Valinor Hills” to rest, the robot’s job will be to gather data while it’s still, hopefully learning useful things about the planet’s environment before future missions with people.
- Gadgets9 years ago
Why the Nexus 7 is still a good tablet in 2015
- Mobile Devices9 years ago
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 vs Galaxy Note 5: is there room for improvement?
- Editorials9 years ago
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 – How bad updates prevent people from enjoying their phones
- Mobile Devices9 years ago
Nexus 5 2015 and Android M born to be together
- Gaming9 years ago
New Teaser For Five Nights At Freddy’s 4
- Mobile Devices9 years ago
Google not releasing Android M to Nexus 7
- Gadgets9 years ago
Moto G Android 5.0.2 Lollipop still has a memory leak bug
- Mobile Devices9 years ago
Nexus 7 2015: Huawei and Google changing the game