For a long time, Venus has been considered too hostile for life as we know it.
Its thick clouds are filled with droplets of sulfuric acid, chlorine, iron, and other harsh chemicals—an environment that seemed impossible for organic molecules to survive.
However, a new study led by researchers from Wrocław University of Science and Technology has revealed that a DNA-like molecule called peptide nucleic acid (PNA) might be able to withstand these extreme conditions.
PNA is a structural cousin of DNA, but with some key differences that make it more resilient in harsh environments.
The research, published in the journal Science Advances, shows that PNA can survive in conditions designed to mimic Venus’s clouds.
The international team, which included experts from Cardiff University, MIT, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and industry partner Symeres, tested PNA in a 98% sulfuric acid solution at room temperature for two weeks.
Surprisingly, it remained stable, suggesting that life—or at least the building blocks of life—might not be out of the question on Venus.
Dr. Janusz Jurand Petkowski, the study’s lead author, explained that many people assume concentrated sulfuric acid destroys all organic molecules, making life impossible. However, their experiments proved otherwise.
While certain organic compounds like sugars break down quickly, other biochemicals like amino acids, nitrogenous bases, and even some dipeptides can survive. PNA, in particular, showed exceptional stability, opening up the possibility that sulfuric acid could act as a solvent for life—much like water does on Earth.
This discovery builds on previous findings from mid-2020, when scientists from Imperial College London announced they had detected phosphine gas in Venus’s atmosphere.
Phosphine is typically produced in oxygen-poor environments and is considered a possible sign of life. Around the same time, a research team from Cardiff University found evidence of ammonia on Venus, another chemical linked to biological processes.
Dr. William Bains from Cardiff University, who was part of those earlier studies, emphasized that while Venus’s clouds are incredibly hostile to life as we know it, their new research is starting to show that complex organic chemistry might still be possible.
The research team believes that their findings are just the beginning. According to Dr. Petkowski, PNA only remains stable in sulfuric acid at temperatures below 50°C. Venus’s cloud temperatures, however, range from 0°C to 100°C. The next step for the researchers is to create a genetic polymer that, like DNA on Earth, could store and transmit genetic information but remain stable across the full range of temperatures found in Venus’s atmosphere.
If successful, this breakthrough could redefine our understanding of where life might exist in the universe. It also offers new insights into the chemistry of sulfuric acid, a widely used industrial chemical.
These findings suggest that life, although very different from what we know, might not be limited to just Earth-like environments. Venus, with its acid-filled clouds, might just be hiding the building blocks of life in plain sight.
