Life might be able to prosper in sulfuric acid clouds of Venus
Nucleic acid bases found to be stable in conditions found in the planet’s atmosphere
The clouds of sulfuric acid in the Venusian atmosphere are not as corrosive to biopolymers as planetary scientists had assumed. RNA and DNA bases were found to be stable in sulfuric acid at the temperatures present in the planet’s clouds, a study has shown.
The surface of Venus is a blistering 462°C, hot enough to melt lead and obliterate organic molecules. But its skies are blanketed in continuous cloud at temperatures between 30°C and 70°C, which has encouraged speculation about whether life might be possible up there. However, these clouds are composed of sulfuric acid that are orders of magnitude more acidic than any environments on Earth that can harbour life.