"Gas Giant Planets Caught While Feeding"
LMU Astrophysics Colloquium
- Date: Jan 14, 2026
- Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
- Speaker: Gabriel-Dominique Marleau (Uni Duisburg-Essen, MPIA, Uni Bern)
- Location: University Observatory Munich (USM), Scheinerstrasse 1, 81679 Munich, Germany
- Room: USM Main Lecture Hall
- Host: Birnstiel und Penzlin
Explores non-aqueous pathways to habitability and mission concepts beyond Earth-like environments, drawing on laboratory chemistry and planetary studies.
Recent laboratory experiments show the stability of key biomolecules in concentrated sulfuric acid and vesicle self-assembly of lipids under Venus-cloud conditions, revisiting the planet’s potential habitability. The talk connects these results to the discovery and natural formation of hydrogen sulfate ionic liquids, broadening solvent chemistries relevant to life detection. By integrating quantum chemistry, biomolecular chemistry, planetary physics, and space exploration, the colloquium outlines new mission pathways for biosignature searches beyond water-based environments. An overflow room (1OG seminar room) will be available; a student session (09:30–10:30) and a pre-colloquium coffee break (10:30–11:00) precede the talk.