We don’t actually know if aliens exist. But if they do, their cells probably have a special type of membrane. And that knowledge alone tells us where we can look for them and maybe even what they’ll be like. LEARN MORE ************** To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords: - Lipid world hypothesis: The hypothesis that life on Earth began with self-maintaining lipid membranes rather than nucleic acids like RNA - Spectroscopy: The study of how matter interacts with light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation - Tidal friction: The resistance created when the gravitational pull of one celestial body deforms another, dragging its tidal bulge out of direct alignment. SUPPORT MINUTEEARTH ************************** If you like what we do, you can help us!: - Become our patron: https://patreon.com/MinuteEarth - Our merch: store.dftba.com/me - Our book: https://minuteearth.com/books - Sign up to our newsletter: http://news.minuteearth.com - Share this video with your friends and family - Leave us a comment (we read them!) CREDITS ********* David Goldenberg | Script Writer, Narrator and Director Lizah van der Aart | Storyboard Artist Sarah Berman | Illustration, Video Editing and Animation Nathaniel Schroeder | Music MinuteEarth is produced by Neptune Studios LLC https://neptunestudios.info OUR STAFF ************ Lizah van der Aart • Sarah Berman • Cameron Duke Arcadi Garcia i Rius • David Goldenberg • Melissa Hayes Henry Reich • Ever Salazar • Leonardo Souza • Kate Yoshida OUR LINKS ************ Youtube | https://youtube.com/MinuteEarth TikTok | https://tiktok.com/@minuteearth Twitter | https://twitter.com/MinuteEarth Instagram | https://instagram.com/minute_earth Facebook | https://facebook.com/Minuteearth Website | https://minuteearth.com Apple Podcasts| https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/minuteearth/id649211176 REFERENCES ************** Duzdevich D, Nisler C, Petkowski JJ, et al. Simple Lipids Form Stable Higher-Order Structures in Concentrated Sulfuric Acid. Astrobiology. 2025;25(4):270-283. https://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2024.0124 Lombard, Jonathan, Purificación López-García, and David Moreira. “The Early Evolution of Lipid Membranes and the Three Domains of Life.” Nature Reviews Microbiology, vol. 10, no. 7, 2012, pp. 507–515. https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/moreira_2012.pdf Segré, Daniel, Dafna Ben-Eli, David W. Deamer, and Doron Lancet. “The Lipid World.” Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere, vol. 31, no. 1–2, 2001, pp. 119–145. https://www.weizmann.ac.il/molgen/Lancet/sites/molgen.Lancet/files/uploads/A-073.pdf Postberg, Frank, et al. “Macromolecular Organic Compounds from the Depths of Enceladus.” Nature, vol. 558, 2018, pp. 564–568. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6027964/ Seager, Sara, et al. “Stability of Nucleic Acid Bases in Concentrated Sulfuric Acid: Implications for the Habitability of Venus' Clouds.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 120, no. 25, 2023, e2220007120. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10288544/ Hand, Kevin P., et al. “Potential for Life on Europa.” In Europa, edited by Robert T. Pappalardo, William B. McKinnon, and Krishan K. Tahu. University of Arizona Press, 2009, pp. 589–629. https://docslib.org/doc/8588514/astrobiology-and-the-potential-for-life-on-europa-hand-et Madhusudhan, Nikku, et al. “Carbon-Bearing Molecules in a Possible Hycean Atmosphere.” Astrophysical Journal Letters, vol. 956, no. 1, 2023, L13. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/acf577