Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Factors Influencing Microbial Growth: Osmolarity01:28

Factors Influencing Microbial Growth: Osmolarity

317
Osmolarity is the measure of solute concentration in a solution. It plays a critical role in determining water availability for organisms. Water moves across semipermeable membranes through osmosis, flowing from regions of lower solute concentration (more dilute) to regions of higher solute concentration (more concentrated).In high-solute environments, microbial cells lose water, leading to dehydration and inhibited growth. The extent to which water is available to microbes in such environments...
317
Tonicity in Animals00:59

Tonicity in Animals

121.2K
The tonicity of a solution determines if a cell gains or loses water in that solution. The tonicity depends on the permeability of the cell membrane for different solutes and the concentration of nonpenetrating solutes in the solution within and outside of the cell. If a semipermeable membrane hinders the passage of some solutes but allows water to follow its concentration gradient, water moves from the side with low osmolarity (i.e., less solute) to the side with higher osmolarity (i.e.,...
121.2K
Entropy and Solvation02:05

Entropy and Solvation

7.5K
The process of surrounding a solute with solvent is called solvation. It involves evenly distributing the solute within the solvent. The rule of thumb for determining a solvent for a given compound is that like dissolves like. A good solvent has molecular characteristics similar to those of the compound to be dissolved. For example, polar solutions dissolve polar solutes, and apolar solvents dissolve apolar solutes. A polar solvent is a solvent that has a high dielectric constant (ϵ...
7.5K
Ionic Strength: Effects on Chemical Equilibria01:19

Ionic Strength: Effects on Chemical Equilibria

2.0K
The addition of an inert ionic compound increases the solubility of a sparingly soluble salt. For example, adding potassium nitrate to a saturated solution of calcium sulfate significantly enhances the solubility of calcium sulfate. Le Châtelier's principle cannot predict this shift in the equilibrium. Instead, this could be explained in terms of changes in the effective concentration of the ions in solution in the presence of added inert salt.
In this solution, the primary...
2.0K
Solubility Equilibria: Overview01:09

Solubility Equilibria: Overview

1.0K
When a substance such as sodium chloride is added to water, it dissolves, forming an aqueous solution. The extent of dissolution is called solubility. The process of dissolution can exist in equilibrium, just like other chemical processes. Solubility equilibria are also called precipitation equilibria because the process of solubility can be reversible. The reverse of the solubility process is called precipitation.
Solubility is important in biological and environmental processes. A notable...
1.0K
Solvents01:12

Solvents

68.0K
A solvent is a substance, most often a liquid, that can dissolve other substances. Here, the substance being dissolved is called a solute. When a solvent and a solute combine, they form a solution - a homogenous mixture of both the solvent and the solute. Water is a universal biological solvent. Its polar structure allows it to dissolve many other polar compounds. The ability of water to dissolve is governed by a balance between water molecules binding to each other and binding to the solute.
A...
68.0K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Volatiles released by undamaged plants mediate the adaptive growth strategies in neighbors.

Journal of experimental botany·2026
Same author

Heterochromatin reorganization associated with the transcriptional reprogramming under viral infection in Arabidopsis.

Nucleic acids research·2026
Same author

Phytochrome-mediated light perception in dodders drives haustorium development through epigenetic mechanisms.

Plant & cell physiology·2026
Same author

A new type of aircraft icing detection system.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

Detection of triboelectric discharges during dust events on Mars.

Nature·2025
Same author

Enjoy the silence: Canonical and non-canonical RNA silencing activity during plant sexual reproduction.

Current opinion in plant biology·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 22, 2025

Ice Generation and the Heat and Mass Transfer Phenomena of Introducing Water to a Cold Bath of Brine
08:16

Ice Generation and the Heat and Mass Transfer Phenomena of Introducing Water to a Cold Bath of Brine

Published on: March 13, 2017

14.1K

Complex Brines and Their Implications for Habitability.

Nilton O Renno1, Erik Fischer1, Germán Martínez2

  • 1Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.

Life (Basel, Switzerland)
|August 27, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Complex brines, crucial for potential extraterrestrial life, can form in frigid environments through freeze-thaw cycles concentrating trace elements. These brines may exist on icy worlds like Mars and Europa.

Keywords:
Marsbrinescomplex brineshabitabilityhabitableicy worldslifeliquid water

More Related Videos

Reservoir Condition Pore-scale Imaging of Multiple Fluid Phases Using X-ray Microtomography
08:02

Reservoir Condition Pore-scale Imaging of Multiple Fluid Phases Using X-ray Microtomography

Published on: February 25, 2015

12.8K
Proof-of-Concept for Gas-Entrapping Membranes Derived from Water-Loving SiO2/Si/SiO2 Wafers for Green Desalination
09:39

Proof-of-Concept for Gas-Entrapping Membranes Derived from Water-Loving SiO2/Si/SiO2 Wafers for Green Desalination

Published on: March 1, 2020

7.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 22, 2025

Ice Generation and the Heat and Mass Transfer Phenomena of Introducing Water to a Cold Bath of Brine
08:16

Ice Generation and the Heat and Mass Transfer Phenomena of Introducing Water to a Cold Bath of Brine

Published on: March 13, 2017

14.1K
Reservoir Condition Pore-scale Imaging of Multiple Fluid Phases Using X-ray Microtomography
08:02

Reservoir Condition Pore-scale Imaging of Multiple Fluid Phases Using X-ray Microtomography

Published on: February 25, 2015

12.8K
Proof-of-Concept for Gas-Entrapping Membranes Derived from Water-Loving SiO2/Si/SiO2 Wafers for Green Desalination
09:39

Proof-of-Concept for Gas-Entrapping Membranes Derived from Water-Loving SiO2/Si/SiO2 Wafers for Green Desalination

Published on: March 1, 2020

7.6K

Area of Science:

  • Astrobiology
  • Planetary Science
  • Geochemistry

Background:

  • Life on Earth may have originated in cold, saline waters near hydrothermal vents.
  • Similar conditions might exist on other celestial bodies, including Mars and icy moons like Europa and Enceladus.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential for complex brines with extremely low freezing points in the shallow subsurface of frigid worlds.
  • To explore the formation and persistence of liquid brines in extraterrestrial cold environments.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of observational and theoretical evidence for brine formation.
  • Investigating the role of freeze-thaw cycles in concentrating elements.
  • Modeling the eutectic temperatures of water-ammonia solutions.

Main Results:

  • Freeze-thaw cycles concentrate even trace elements, significantly contributing to brine reservoir formation.
  • Complex brines can achieve very low eutectic temperatures, potentially as low as ~160 K with water-ammonia solutions.
  • Such brines could form and persist in the cold environments of icy worlds.

Conclusions:

  • Complex brines likely exist in the shallow subsurface of Mars and outer solar system icy worlds.
  • Liquid saline water is expected where ice has existed, temperatures are above ~160 K, and evaporation/sublimation are limited.