Ionic Liquids Could Support Life Beyond Water

In August 2025, a new study from MIT suggested that life on other worlds may not necessarily depend on water. Instead, a different kind of fluid — ionic liquid — could provide a stable medium to support life in environments where water cannot exist.

Key Points

New Possibility for Habitability: Ionic liquids are salts that remain liquid below 100°C. MIT researchers discovered that mixing sulfuric acid with nitrogen-containing organic compounds can produce such liquids.
Planetary Relevance: Sulfuric acid, common in volcanic activity, and nitrogen organics, already detected on asteroids and planets, could naturally form ionic liquids on rocky planets and moons.
Advantages over Water: Ionic liquids have extremely low vapour pressure, resist evaporation, and can remain stable at higher temperatures and lower pressures than water.
Biomolecule Stability: Some proteins can remain stable in ionic liquids, suggesting these environments might support biochemical processes necessary for life.
Expanding the Habitable Zone: By including ionic liquids in the definition of habitability, the potential for life-supporting environments on rocky worlds greatly increases.