How high-pressure ices on large ocean worlds can support habitability: The compatibility of amino acids into ice VI and VII
4 affiliations
- 1Deep Space Exploration Laboratory/State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric and Environmental Coevolution, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China.
- 2International Center for Isotope Effects Research, State Key Laboratory of Critical Earth Material Cycling and Mineral Deposits, Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
- 3Space Science Division, Space Sector, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA.
- 4Universite Claude Bernard Lyon1, LGL-TPE, UMR 5276, CNRS, Ens de Lyon, Universite Jean Monnet Saint-Etienne, Villeurbanne 69622, France.
Abstract
Water oceans in large icy moons and exoplanets are isolated from the rocky interior by thick layers of high-pressure ice, which hinder the direct release of nutrients and organics derived from water-rock interaction to the ocean. Possible uptake of these bio-essential compounds into high-pressure ice phases could regulate their availability in the ocean, but this process is poorly constrained. Here, we measured partition coefficients of glycine and alanine into ices VI and VII under elevated temperature-pressure conditions using a diamond-anvil cell. We observed moderate compatibility of glycine and alanine with partition coefficients: Kp,glycine = 0.14 and 0.40 in ices VI and VII, respectively; Kp,alanine = 0.21 and 0.35 in ices VI and VII, respectively. First-principles calculations suggested that amino acids could be incorporated into high-pressure ice's lattice via cogrowth. Compatibility of amino acids into high-pressure ices would favor their transport in large extraterrestrial oceans, opening an avenue to habitability.
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BibTeX
@article{hao2026highpressure,
title = {{How high-pressure ices on large ocean worlds can support habitability: The compatibility of amino acids into ice VI and VII}},
author = {Jihua Hao and Can Liu and Feixiang Liu and Chengtao Zhang and Javed Akhter Mondal and Christopher R. Glein and Herve Cardon and Gilles Montagnac and Xiaobin Cao and Isabelle Daniel},
journal = {Science Advances},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aec2045},
url = {https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aec2045},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - How high-pressure ices on large ocean worlds can support habitability: The compatibility of amino acids into ice VI and VII
AU - Jihua Hao
AU - Can Liu
AU - Feixiang Liu
AU - Chengtao Zhang
AU - Javed Akhter Mondal
AU - Christopher R. Glein
AU - Herve Cardon
AU - Gilles Montagnac
AU - Xiaobin Cao
AU - Isabelle Daniel
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - Science Advances
DO - 10.1126/sciadv.aec2045
UR - https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aec2045
AB - Water oceans in large icy moons and exoplanets are isolated from the rocky interior by thick layers of high-pressure ice, which hinder the direct release of nutrients and organics derived from water-rock interaction to the ocean. Possible uptake of these bio-essential compounds into high-pressure ice phases could regulate their availability in the ocean, but this process is poorly constrained. Here, we measured partition coefficients of glycine and alanine into ices VI and VII under elevated temperature-pressure conditions using a diamond-anvil cell. We observed moderate compatibility of glycine and alanine with partition coefficients: Kp,glycine = 0.14 and 0.40 in ices VI and VII, respectively; Kp,alanine = 0.21 and 0.35 in ices VI and VII, respectively. First-principles calculations suggested that amino acids could be incorporated into high-pressure ice's lattice via cogrowth. Compatibility of amino acids into high-pressure ices would favor their transport in large extraterrestrial oceans, opening an avenue to habitability.
SN - 2375-2548
ER -