Scientists flip the script, name least likely planet as strongest candidate for life

A team of scientists think that Venus, the hottest planet in our solar system, could hold the potential to host life. Our neighbouring planet can have such a thick atmosphere comprising 95 per cent carbon dioxide that it gets superhot. Temperatures on the surface can reach 464 degrees Celsius, while air pressure is around 92 times higher than on Earth at sea level. It makes it less than an ideal candidate to probe for signs of life. However, scientists think that we should not be discrediting Venus so quickly. A team of scientists from MIT has been working for years to figure out whether the building blocks of life could be present in the planet's atmosphere. Temperatures in the upper atmosphere hover around 0 to 50 ºC, making it the best-case scenario on Venus.

Scientists find life-supporting molecule on Venus

The researchers have published a new study in the journal Molecules, in which they searched for sophisticated molecular structures that can withstand degradation in sulfuric acid. They focused on seeing if a cyclopentane motif could replace the deoxyribose linkers that serve as the structural background of DNA. Explaining their approach, the scientists said, "Life requires far more sophisticated molecular structures—particularly complex polymers—to perform biological functions." They added that "genetic polymers with functional and structural properties similar to RNA and DNA" are pretty much universally required for life. "Identifying genetic polymers that resist degradation in concentrated sulfuric acid becomes a critical step to study the possibility of life in environments where sulfuric acid is a dominant liquid."

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They found that cyclopentane could take up deoxyribose's place among some nucleic acid bases. They say that their finding present a case for sending an exploratory mission to Venus. According to them, the latest finding adds to the earlier finding in 2020 when phosphine was found in Venusian clouds, a biosignature of anaerobic life on Earth. What the scientists have done over the years is piece together what microbial life might look like on Venus. “Although complex organic chemistry does not equate to life, its presence in a planetary environment provides an essential prerequisite for the possibility of life,” the authors wrote.