Steve R.
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Venus, the redheaded step child of planetary research. finally getting some notice.
Venus - Getting Some Hot Attention
- Thread starter Steve R.
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After taking a quick look at the article, I can say that a surface hot enough to melt lead will denature any Earth-style proteins. If there IS life on Venus it would be of a kind that does not parallel Earthly protein-based forms of life. I.e. I can't say what it WOULD be - but CAN say what it WON'T be.
If I remember correctly, there is a lot of what is called "water of hydration" involved in DNA, and that if you remove that (which you CAN do with simple heat), you "denature" the strand. Water of hydration is the key to Earthly life because it is loosely attached by electrostatic rather than chemical bonds, but it acts as a scaffold to help biologic molecules retain their shape because it is bulky! Think of a bean-bag chair, with the beans symbolizing water of hydration. Without the beans, the chair collapses even though there is no firm attachment.
That loose attachment allows movement when needed, but it also keeps the long-chain molecules from collapsing. When you see a dry, desiccated body, it has shrunk because it has started to lose its water of hydration. When the supporting scaffolding is gone, the shrinking starts as the proteins collapse into smaller space because the bulky water of hydration is no longer there.
If I remember correctly, there is a lot of what is called "water of hydration" involved in DNA, and that if you remove that (which you CAN do with simple heat), you "denature" the strand. Water of hydration is the key to Earthly life because it is loosely attached by electrostatic rather than chemical bonds, but it acts as a scaffold to help biologic molecules retain their shape because it is bulky! Think of a bean-bag chair, with the beans symbolizing water of hydration. Without the beans, the chair collapses even though there is no firm attachment.
That loose attachment allows movement when needed, but it also keeps the long-chain molecules from collapsing. When you see a dry, desiccated body, it has shrunk because it has started to lose its water of hydration. When the supporting scaffolding is gone, the shrinking starts as the proteins collapse into smaller space because the bulky water of hydration is no longer there.
Steve R.
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Analog has had several recent science fact stories and fictional stories concerning Venus.
July 2021 Issue: "Return of the Golden Age: Why Venus Might Actually Once Have Been a Habitable Planet" by Richard A. Lovett
May 2021 Issue: "Possible Signs of Life on Venus" by David L. Clements
March to August 2020 Fiction: The House of STYX by Derek Kunsken
September 2020: The Science Behind the House of Styx by Derek Kunsken
In the House of STYX Kunsken speculates the existence of buoyant life forms floating within a habitable zone.
Q&A with Derek Künsken
The source of Covid is uncovered in the Q&A: "Derek Künsken has built genetically engineered viruses ..."
July 2021 Issue: "Return of the Golden Age: Why Venus Might Actually Once Have Been a Habitable Planet" by Richard A. Lovett
May 2021 Issue: "Possible Signs of Life on Venus" by David L. Clements
March to August 2020 Fiction: The House of STYX by Derek Kunsken
September 2020: The Science Behind the House of Styx by Derek Kunsken
In the House of STYX Kunsken speculates the existence of buoyant life forms floating within a habitable zone.
Q&A with Derek Künsken
The source of Covid is uncovered in the Q&A: "Derek Künsken has built genetically engineered viruses ..."Similar threads
