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Voice assistants can build profiles of their users’ habits and preferences, but the consistency and accuracy of these profiles vary

Voice assistants can build profiles of their users’ habits and preferences, but the consistency and accuracy of these profiles vary

SpaceX plans to launch the Crew-9 astronaut mission for NASA on Saturday (Sept. 28), and you can watch the action live online.

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FDA medical examiner Frances Oldham wanted data that would show that thalidomide was safe to use during pregnancy. It wasn’t

Venus is often described as a hellscape. The surface temperature breaches the melting point of lead, and though its atmosphere is dominated by carbon dioxide, it contains enough sulfuric acid to satisfy the comparison with Hades.

But conditions throughout Venus’ ample atmosphere aren’t uniform. There are locations where some of life’s building blocks could resist the planet’s inhospitable nature.

Among the rocky planets, Venus has by far the largest atmosphere by volume. So, while its surface is inhospitable, its atmosphere has regions that are the most Earth-like of anywhere else in the Solar System. Scientists have wondered if life could survive in parts of the planet’s upper atmosphere, and the discovery of the potential biomarker phosphine (though it was later disproved) generated more interest.

Some research suggests that life could exist within Venus’ voluminous clouds. Image Credit: Abreu et al. 2024.

One reason Venus keeps coming up in discussions around habitability is that it’s accessible, whereas exoplanets aren’t. Venus is easily reached, and we currently have one orbiter in place, the Japanese Akatsuki spacecraft. Three other missions to Venus are planned for the mid-2030s: NASA’s Veritas and DAVINCI and the ESA’s EnVision.

Nobody is convinced we’ll find life on Venus. But the planet can teach us a lot about chemistry and biology and their limits.

In new research, a team of scientists tested different building blocks under Venus-like conditions to see if they can withstand the planet’s perilous nature. The research is “Simple lipids form stable higher-order structures in concentrated sulfuric acid.” The lead author is Daniel Duzdevich from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Chicago. The paper is in pre-print now and has been submitted to the journal Astrobiology.

Venus’ surface isn’t a candidate for habitability. But regions in its atmosphere may be. The issue is that much of Venus’ sulfuric acid is concentrated in discrete clouds rather than diffused throughout its atmosphere.

“The Venusian surface is sterilizing, but the cloud deck includes regions with temperatures and pressures conventionally considered compatible with life. However, the Venusian clouds are thought to consist of concentrated sulfuric acid,” the authors explain.

Cloud structure in the Venusian atmosphere in 2016, revealed by observations in the two ultraviolet bands by Akatsuki. Credit: Kevin M. Gill

They wanted to test if any of life’s “fundamental features” could withstand Venus’ challenging environment. Can any of life’s chemistry resist sulfuric acid?

“Organic chemistry in concentrated sulfuric acid is rarely studied yet surprisingly rich, with recent work supporting the notion that complex organic molecules, including amino acids and nucleobases can be stable in this unusual solvent,” the authors write.

If simple organic molecules can remain stable in sulfuric acid, it’s an interesting observation in favour of life. But it takes more complexity than that, and that’s what this research focuses on.

“One fundamental feature of life is cellularity: the differentiation of “inside” (the contents of a cell, including information, molecules, and all their interactions) and “outside” (the environment), in addition to a mechanism for communication and exchange between the two,” Duzdevich and his co-researchers write.

The researchers focused on lipids, the membranes that define cells. Lipids are the foundation of cellular structure, not only as membranes between cells but also as membranes that create distinct parts of the interior of cells. “The cell membrane is especially important in extreme environments because it must help maintain the homeostasis of the intracellular environment against otherwise harsh external conditions,” the authors write.

The researchers performed lab experiments to determine whether lipids can withstand Venus’ harsh environment. They asked two questions: Can simple lipids resist decomposition by sulfuric acid, and can the lipids form stable higher-order structures like they do in cells?

The researchers placed masses of lipids in vials and exposed them to different concentrations of sulfuric acid and measured each vial at specific intervals. Their results show that some lipids can survive exposure to the acid and even form structures.

This figure from the research shows the vesicle-like structures that formed after concentrated sulfuric acid was added to solid lipids. Each panel is a different region of the same sample taken on the same day. Subsequent images showed that the structures remained intact even after seven days. Image Credit: Duzdevich et al. 2024.

Interested readers can explore the detailed chemistry for themselves.

In summary, the results suggest that stable membranes can form and persist in the presence of sulfuric acid. Life uses water as a solvent because it’s a polar molecule, can form networks of hydrogen bonds, has a high heat capacity, and, of course, is abundant on Earth. But it’s not abundant everywhere.

Critically, this study shows that some aspects of the chemistry of life don’t require water as a solvent. Instead, they can tolerate and use sulfuric acid as a solvent. “Here, we show the unexpected stability of complex membranous structures in another polar solvent: concentrated sulfuric acid,” the authors write.

What does this mean for exoplanet habitability and astrobiology?

“Concentrated sulfuric acid as a planetary solvent could be widespread on exoplanets, either on exo-Venuses or on other rocky planets that are desiccated as a result of the stellar activity of their host star,” the researchers explain.

And, of course, sulfuric acid is present in large amounts at Venus.

“Concentrated sulfuric acid is also present in our immediate planetary vicinity as a dominant liquid in the clouds of Venus, further emphasizing its importance for planetary science, planetary habitability, and astrobiology,” the authors write.

The question of whether life could somehow survive in Venus’ clouds is one that won’t go away. We’re new at the astrobiology game, and we’re simply not in a position to rule things out. It might seem far-fetched, but science is an evidence game, and evidence can be surprising.

This study doesn’t present evidence that can answer the question—big questions like this are answered incrementally—but it does present an intriguing result.

“By demonstrating the stability of lipid membranes in this aggressive solvent, we have taken a significant step forward in exploring the potential habitability of the concentrated sulfuric acid cloud environment on Venus,” the authors conclude.

The post Another Building Block of Life Can Handle Venus’ Sulphuric Acid appeared first on Universe Today.

Astronomers listened for radio signals emanating from planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system, but found no evidence of any interplanetary communications

Astronomers listened for radio signals emanating from planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system, but found no evidence of any interplanetary communications

A newly discovered Earth-size world orbiting a dead white dwarf star gives scientists a hint of what the solar system may look like in billions of years.

An oddball galaxy in the early universe shines so brightly it outshines its stars.

Hurricane Helene will make landfall in Florida on Thursday evening (Sept. 26), and satellite footage is capturing it along its path.

NASA is streaming video views of Hurricane Helene today (as it approaches the U.S. Gulf Coast and you can watch it online.

Illustration of NASA’s BioSentinel spacecraft as it enters a heliocentric orbit. BioSentinel collected data during the May 2024 geomagnetic storm that hit Earth to learn more about the impacts of radiation in deep space.NASA/Daniel Rutter

In May 2024, a geomagnetic storm hit Earth, sending auroras across the planet’s skies in a once-in-a-generation light display. These dazzling sights are possible because of the interaction of coronal mass ejections – explosions of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun – with Earth’s magnetic field, which protects us from the radiation the Sun spits out during turbulent storms.

But what might happen to humans beyond the safety of Earth’s protection? This question is essential as NASA plans to send humans to the Moon and on to Mars. During the May storm, the small spacecraft BioSentinel was collecting data to learn more about the impacts of radiation in deep space.

“We wanted to take advantage of the unique stage of the solar cycle we’re in – the solar maximum, when the Sun is at its most active – so that we can continue to monitor the space radiation environment,” said Sergio Santa Maria, principal investigator for BioSentinel’s spaceflight mission at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. “These data are relevant not just to the heliophysics community but also to understand the radiation environment for future crewed missions into deep space.”

BioSentinel – a small satellite about the size of a cereal box – is currently over 30 million miles from Earth, orbiting the Sun, where it weathered May’s coronal mass ejection without protection from a planetary magnetic field. Preliminary analysis of the data collected indicates that even though this was an extreme geomagnetic storm, that is, a storm that disturbs Earth’s magnetic field, it was considered just a moderate solar radiation storm, meaning it did not produce a great increase in hazardous solar particles. Therefore, such a storm did not pose any major issue to terrestrial lifeforms, even if they were unprotected as BioSentinel was. These measurements provide useful information for scientists trying to understand how solar radiation storms move through space and where their effects – and potential impacts on life beyond Earth – are most intense.

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare on May 11, 2024. The image shows a subset of extreme ultraviolet light that highlights the extremely hot material in flares.NASA/SDO

The original mission of BioSentinel was to study samples of yeast in deep space. Though these yeast samples are no longer alive, BioSentinel has adapted and continues to be a novel platform for studying the potential impacts of deep space conditions on life beyond the protection of Earth’s atmosphere and magnetosphere. The spacecraft’s biosensor instrument collects data about the radiation in deep space. Over a year and a half after its launch in Nov. 2022, BioSentinel retreats farther away from Earth, providing data of increasing value to scientists.

“Even though the biological part of the BioSentinel mission was completed a few months after launch, we believe that there is significant scientific value in continuing with the mission,” said Santa Maria. “The fact that the CubeSat continues to operate and that we can communicate with it, highlights the potential use of the spacecraft and many of its subsystems and components for future long-term missions beyond low Earth orbit.”

When we see auroras in the sky, they can serve as a stunning reminder of all the forces we cannot see that govern our cosmic neighborhood. As NASA and its partners seek to understand more about space environments, platforms like BioSentinel are essential to learn more about the risks of surviving beyond Earth’s sphere of protection.

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Northern sea robins are formidable marine hunters, and they owe their success to modified fin rays that let them find prey buried in the seabed

Northern sea robins are formidable marine hunters, and they owe their success to modified fin rays that let them find prey buried in the seabed

Next-generation space debris protection material is being readied for a test trip to the International Space Station, to see how it holds up in the final frontier.

Experts call for greater testing of contacts of a person who was infected with the H5N1 bird flu strain before the virus causes a wider outbreak

NASA and South Korea's space agency have agreed to deeper cooperation in space exploration, science and aeronautics, including collaboration on a pioneering mission.

A species of legged fish uses taste receptors to search for hidden prey, providing an ideal window for scientists to study the emergence of new evolutionary traits

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Pioneer of Change: America Reyes Wang Makes NASA Space Biology More Open America Reyes Wang, the lead of the the Space Biology Biospecimen Sharing Program at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, stands beside a spacesuit display. Photo courtesy of America Reyes Wang

As humans return to the Moon and push on toward Mars, scientists are ramping up research into the effects of space on the body to make sure astronauts stay healthy on longer missions. This research often involves spaceflight studies of rodents, insects, and other models in orbiting laboratories such as the International Space Station. However, space-related biological samples are difficult to get, meaning that researchers who want to study space biology are frequently out of luck.

America Reyes Wang, a KBR employee and the lead of the Space Biology Biospecimen Sharing Program at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, oversees the team that has changed that. Birthed from an initiative first pioneered in the 1960s, the Biospecimen Sharing Program collects samples and data from NASA non-human space biology studies and makes them available in the public, open NASA Open Science Data Repository (OSDR). 

To derive the most benefit from the precious few biology studies taking place in space, Reyes Wang arranges collaborations on space biology dissections with NASA-funded researchers so that her team can collect and preserve unutilized biospecimens for others to use. Outside researchers can request the samples to study in person by writing and submitting proposals. Once analyzed, researchers share their data back with the NASA OSDR for other investigators to access and study.

The ethos of open science is central to Reyes Wang’s approach to her work. “The samples that we work with are so precious,” she said. “To me, it’s a no-brainer — why not share what we can share?”

America Reyes Wang wears personal protective equipment (PPE) while working on an activity for NASA’s Biospecimen Sharing Program. Photo courtesy of America Reyes Wang

Reyes Wang aspired to work in the scientific or medical field from a young age, driven by her desire to help people. Her father, who was born in El Salvador and dreamed of being an astronaut after watching the 1969 Moon landing, inspired Reyes Wang to fall in love with space. She also credited her Salvadoran and Mexican family with teaching her the value of understanding different experiences. 

“To me, being Hispanic, especially as a Latina in STEM, means recognizing and building upon the hard work and sacrifices of those who came before me, as well as extending a helping hand to those around me for the betterment of us all,” Reyes Wang said. “It also means enjoying and sharing our vibrant cultures.” 

As a student at Stanford University, Reyes Wang conducted neurobiology research with rodents, but assumed she would have to choose her love of biology over her love of space. The field of space biology allowed her to combine those interests. Having quietly dreamed of working for NASA for years, she was also thrilled to find that she could work on NASA missions as a space biologist.

If we want to keep up with the pace of humanity’s aspirations to travel further and for longer … open science is one of the best tools we have for achieving those dreams.

America Reyes Wang

Biospecimen Sharing Program Lead

Reyes Wang first found a role supporting NASA as an experiment support scientist for the agency’s Rodent Research Program. While she no longer facilitates research on the International Space Station in her current position, she uses her scientific expertise and collaborative outlook to guide the Biospecimen Sharing Program in a direction that will most help advance science. 

Despite space biology’s status as a relatively niche field, Reyes Wang has noted its tremendous impact on the biological sciences, medicine, and technology as a whole. For example, spaceflown biological samples are often used to investigate diseases that affect people on Earth. Reyes Wang’s involvement in accelerating these studies captures her long-held desire to help people.

“Open science gives the world an opportunity to get these important answers much more quickly,” Reyes Wang said. “If we want to keep up with the pace of humanity’s aspirations to travel further and for longer, we need to pick up the pace when it comes to getting the answers, and I think open science is one of the best tools we have for achieving those dreams.”

By Lauren Leese 
Web Content Strategist for the Office of the Chief Science Data Officer

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