[ESAC Seminar] Trevor Paratore

“The Search for Signs of Life on Venus: How biophysical chemistry is informing missions to our nearest planetary neighbor”

Venus has long been characterized as inhospitable to life as we know it due to its extremely high surface temperature and acid-rich atmosphere. The clouds on Venus contain sulfuric acid particles ranging in concentration from 30% to 98% by mass. Such conditions are unfavorable for the stability of most biologically relevant organic molecules. Saccharides, for instance, are crucial for life on Earth but react violently with sulfuric acid upon exposure. However, life’s molecular building blocks are seldom directly exposed to a bulk solvent. Instead, they are compartmentalized by higher-order structures formed by molecules such as lipids and/or proteins. One such structure is a ‘liposome’ composed of amphiphilic hydrocarbons (i.e. lipids) arranged in a ‘bilayer’ such that their hydrophobic chains face inward, creating a thin nonpolar region, while their hydrophilic headgroups face outwards toward water-rich intra- and extraluminal matrices. If life evolved elsewhere as it has Earth, is it possible that structures like liposomes form in solvents other than water? How about in 98% sulfuric acid? Could we create liposomes in 98% sulfuric acid and then use them to assist in the development of new technologies needed for our Venus mission? By bridging synthetic biology and planetary science, our group is adapting biophysical models of cell membranes to address these very questions.

ESAC Early-Career Seminar Series —

A forum for students and postdocs to share recent research, hone presentation skills, and build community among peers, sponsored by the EAPS Student Advisory Committee. Open to current EAPS graduate and undergraduate students and postdocs. Typically hosted on Thursdays during the semester, including pizza lunch.

Contact: esac.officers@gmail.com