MIT: Peptides Survive 98% Sulfuric Acid, Hinting at Life in Venus Clouds

MIT chemists exposed peptides to 98% sulfuric acid and found that three of them (HHQ, HHQ13, K7) kept a stable 3D structure for weeks. The result supports the idea that complex biochemistry could exist in Venus's acidic clouds.

• Three peptides stayed stable in 98% sulfuric acid for weeks
• Acid molecules act as scaffolding for protein-like omega loops
• MIT previously showed lipids, amino acids and nucleic acids survive similar conditions
• Peptides found in the Murchison meteorite could seed planets from space