Dr William Bains
Teams and roles for William Bains
Senior Research Fellow
Publication
2026
- Bains, W. et al. 2026. Chemical and evolutionary reasons for the rarity of natural products containing nitrogen–nitrogen bonds (NN bonds) in life’s biochemical repertoire. Scientific Reports (10.1038/s41598-026-63202-x)
- Bains, W. 2026. The maximum growth temperature for eukaryotes is thermodynamically driven but ecologically contingent. Life 16 (6) 1016. (10.3390/life16061016)
- Seager, S. et al., 2026. Ionic liquid biospheres. Life 16 (3) 408. (10.3390/life16030408)
2025
- Seager, S. et al., 2025. Prospects for detecting signs of life on exoplanets in the JWST era. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 122 (39) e2416188122. (10.1073/pnas.2416188122)
- Agrawal, R. et al., 2025. Warm, water-depleted rocky exoplanets with surface ionic liquids: A proposed class for planetary habitability. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 122 (33) e2425520122. (10.1073/pnas.2425520122)
- Seager, S. , Petkowski, J. J. and Bains, W. 2025. The diversity of exoplanetary environments and the search for signs of life beyond Earth. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 380 (1931) 20240101. (10.1098/rstb.2024.0101)
- Duzdevich, D. et al., 2025. Simple lipids form stable higher-order structures in concentrated sulfuric acid. Astrobiology 25 (4), pp.270-283. (10.1089/ast.2024.0124)
- Petkowski, J. J. et al., 2025. Astrobiological implications of the stability and reactivity of peptide nucleic acid (PNA) in concentrated sulfuric acid.. Science Advances 11 (13) eadr0006. (10.1126/sciadv.adr0006)
- Bains, W. 2025. Linking fungal genomics to thermal growth limits: A dataset of 730 sequenced species. Data 10 (4) 42. (10.3390/data10040042)
- Petkowski, J. J. et al., 2025. Mechanism for peptide bond solvolysis in 98% w/w concentrated sulfuric acid. ACS Omega 10 (9), pp.9623-9629. (10.1021/acsomega.4c10873)
2024
- Bains, W. , Petkowski, J. J. and Seager, S. 2024. Alternative solvents for life: framework for evaluation, current status, and future research. Astrobiology 24 (12), pp.1231-1256. (10.1089/ast.2024.0004)
- Petkowski, J. J. et al., 2024. General instability of dipeptides in concentrated sulfuric acid as relevant for the Venus cloud habitability. Scientific Reports 14 (1) 17083. (10.1038/s41598-024-67342-w)
- Petkowski, J. J. , Seager, S. and Bains, W. 2024. Reasons why life on Earth rarely makes fluorine-containing compounds and their implications for the search for life beyond Earth. Scientific Reports 14 (1) 15575. (10.1038/s41598-024-66265-w)
- Bains, W. , Petkowski, J. J. and Seager, S. 2024. Venus' atmospheric chemistry and cloud characteristics are compatible with Venusian life. Astrobiology 24 (4), pp.371-385. (10.1089/ast.2022.0113)
- Seager, S. et al., 2024. Year-long stability of nucleic acid bases in concentrated sulfuric acid: implications for the persistence of organic chemistry in Venus’ clouds. Life 14 (5) 538. (10.3390/life14050538)
- Bains, W. et al. 2024. Source of phosphine on Venus—An unsolved problem. Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences 11 1372057. (10.3389/fspas.2024.1372057)
- Petkowski, J. J. et al., 2024. Astrobiological potential of Venus atmosphere chemical anomalies and other unexplained cloud properties. Astrobiology 24 (4) 343. (10.1089/ast.2022.0060)
- Seager, M. D. et al., 2024. Stability of 20 biogenic amino acids in concentrated sulfuric acid: Implications for the habitability of Venus' clouds. Astrobiology 24 (4), pp.386-396. (10.1089/ast.2023.0082)
2023
- Seager, S. et al., 2023. Fully fluorinated non-carbon compounds NF3 and SF6 as ideal technosignature gases. Scientific Reports 13 13576. (10.1038/s41598-023-39972-z)
- Seager, S. et al., 2023. Stability of nucleic acid bases in concentrated sulfuric acid: Implications for the habitability of Venus'clouds. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 120 (25) e2220007120. (10.1073/pnas.2220007120)
2022
- Duzdevich, D. et al., 2022. An experimental approach to inform Venus astrobiology mission design and science objectives. Aerospace 9 (10) 597. (10.3390/aerospace9100597)
- Bains, W. et al. 2022. Stratospheric chemical lifetime of aviation fuel incomplete combustion products. Atmosphere 13 (8) e1209. (10.3390/atmos13081209)
- Bains, W. et al. 2022. Venusian phosphine: a 'wow!' signal in chemistry?. Phosphorus, Sulfur, and Silicon and the Related Elements 197 (5-6), pp.438-443. (10.1080/10426507.2021.1998051)
- Greaves, J. S. et al. 2022. Low levels of sulphur dioxide contamination of Venusian phosphine spectra. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 514 (2), pp.2994-3001. (10.1093/mnras/stac1438)
- Ranjan, S. et al., 2022. Photochemical runaway in exoplanet atmospheres: implications for biosignatures. Astrophysical Journal 930 (2) 131. (10.3847/1538-4357/ac5749)
- Bains, W. et al. 2022. A data resource for prediction of gas-phase thermodynamic properties of small molecules. Data 7 (3) 33. (10.3390/data7030033)
- Bains, W. et al. 2022. Only extraordinary volcanism can explain the presence of parts per billion phosphine on Venus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119 (7) e2121702119. (10.1073/pnas.2121702119)
2021
- Bains, W. et al. 2021. Evaluating alternatives to water as solvents for life: the example of sulfuric acid. Life 11 (5) 400. (10.3390/life11050400)
- Bains, W. , Borriello, E. and Schulze-Makuch, D. 2021. Evolution of default genetic control mechanisms. PLoS ONE 16 (5) e0251568. (10.1371/journal.pone.0251568)
Articles
- Bains, W. et al. 2026. Chemical and evolutionary reasons for the rarity of natural products containing nitrogen–nitrogen bonds (NN bonds) in life’s biochemical repertoire. Scientific Reports (10.1038/s41598-026-63202-x)
- Bains, W. 2026. The maximum growth temperature for eukaryotes is thermodynamically driven but ecologically contingent. Life 16 (6) 1016. (10.3390/life16061016)
- Seager, S. et al., 2026. Ionic liquid biospheres. Life 16 (3) 408. (10.3390/life16030408)
- Seager, S. et al., 2025. Prospects for detecting signs of life on exoplanets in the JWST era. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 122 (39) e2416188122. (10.1073/pnas.2416188122)
- Agrawal, R. et al., 2025. Warm, water-depleted rocky exoplanets with surface ionic liquids: A proposed class for planetary habitability. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 122 (33) e2425520122. (10.1073/pnas.2425520122)
- Seager, S. , Petkowski, J. J. and Bains, W. 2025. The diversity of exoplanetary environments and the search for signs of life beyond Earth. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 380 (1931) 20240101. (10.1098/rstb.2024.0101)
- Duzdevich, D. et al., 2025. Simple lipids form stable higher-order structures in concentrated sulfuric acid. Astrobiology 25 (4), pp.270-283. (10.1089/ast.2024.0124)
- Petkowski, J. J. et al., 2025. Astrobiological implications of the stability and reactivity of peptide nucleic acid (PNA) in concentrated sulfuric acid.. Science Advances 11 (13) eadr0006. (10.1126/sciadv.adr0006)
- Bains, W. 2025. Linking fungal genomics to thermal growth limits: A dataset of 730 sequenced species. Data 10 (4) 42. (10.3390/data10040042)
- Petkowski, J. J. et al., 2025. Mechanism for peptide bond solvolysis in 98% w/w concentrated sulfuric acid. ACS Omega 10 (9), pp.9623-9629. (10.1021/acsomega.4c10873)
- Bains, W. , Petkowski, J. J. and Seager, S. 2024. Alternative solvents for life: framework for evaluation, current status, and future research. Astrobiology 24 (12), pp.1231-1256. (10.1089/ast.2024.0004)
- Petkowski, J. J. et al., 2024. General instability of dipeptides in concentrated sulfuric acid as relevant for the Venus cloud habitability. Scientific Reports 14 (1) 17083. (10.1038/s41598-024-67342-w)
- Petkowski, J. J. , Seager, S. and Bains, W. 2024. Reasons why life on Earth rarely makes fluorine-containing compounds and their implications for the search for life beyond Earth. Scientific Reports 14 (1) 15575. (10.1038/s41598-024-66265-w)
- Bains, W. , Petkowski, J. J. and Seager, S. 2024. Venus' atmospheric chemistry and cloud characteristics are compatible with Venusian life. Astrobiology 24 (4), pp.371-385. (10.1089/ast.2022.0113)
- Seager, S. et al., 2024. Year-long stability of nucleic acid bases in concentrated sulfuric acid: implications for the persistence of organic chemistry in Venus’ clouds. Life 14 (5) 538. (10.3390/life14050538)
- Bains, W. et al. 2024. Source of phosphine on Venus—An unsolved problem. Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences 11 1372057. (10.3389/fspas.2024.1372057)
- Petkowski, J. J. et al., 2024. Astrobiological potential of Venus atmosphere chemical anomalies and other unexplained cloud properties. Astrobiology 24 (4) 343. (10.1089/ast.2022.0060)
- Seager, M. D. et al., 2024. Stability of 20 biogenic amino acids in concentrated sulfuric acid: Implications for the habitability of Venus' clouds. Astrobiology 24 (4), pp.386-396. (10.1089/ast.2023.0082)
- Seager, S. et al., 2023. Fully fluorinated non-carbon compounds NF3 and SF6 as ideal technosignature gases. Scientific Reports 13 13576. (10.1038/s41598-023-39972-z)
- Seager, S. et al., 2023. Stability of nucleic acid bases in concentrated sulfuric acid: Implications for the habitability of Venus'clouds. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 120 (25) e2220007120. (10.1073/pnas.2220007120)
- Duzdevich, D. et al., 2022. An experimental approach to inform Venus astrobiology mission design and science objectives. Aerospace 9 (10) 597. (10.3390/aerospace9100597)
- Bains, W. et al. 2022. Stratospheric chemical lifetime of aviation fuel incomplete combustion products. Atmosphere 13 (8) e1209. (10.3390/atmos13081209)
- Bains, W. et al. 2022. Venusian phosphine: a 'wow!' signal in chemistry?. Phosphorus, Sulfur, and Silicon and the Related Elements 197 (5-6), pp.438-443. (10.1080/10426507.2021.1998051)
- Greaves, J. S. et al. 2022. Low levels of sulphur dioxide contamination of Venusian phosphine spectra. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 514 (2), pp.2994-3001. (10.1093/mnras/stac1438)
- Ranjan, S. et al., 2022. Photochemical runaway in exoplanet atmospheres: implications for biosignatures. Astrophysical Journal 930 (2) 131. (10.3847/1538-4357/ac5749)
- Bains, W. et al. 2022. A data resource for prediction of gas-phase thermodynamic properties of small molecules. Data 7 (3) 33. (10.3390/data7030033)
- Bains, W. et al. 2022. Only extraordinary volcanism can explain the presence of parts per billion phosphine on Venus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119 (7) e2121702119. (10.1073/pnas.2121702119)
- Bains, W. et al. 2021. Evaluating alternatives to water as solvents for life: the example of sulfuric acid. Life 11 (5) 400. (10.3390/life11050400)
- Bains, W. , Borriello, E. and Schulze-Makuch, D. 2021. Evolution of default genetic control mechanisms. PLoS ONE 16 (5) e0251568. (10.1371/journal.pone.0251568)
