Possible signs of life in Venus' clouds – 'very exciting discoveries'

The discovery of phosphine and ammonia in the clouds of Venus has researchers paying attention. Could there really be life there?

HAL – Although Venus is often referred to as Earth's “twin,” it's hard to imagine life on its surface. The extreme conditions there, with temperatures that melt lead and zinc and pressures 90 times higher than Earth's, make Venus a “hell planet.” But about 50 kilometers above the surface, conditions are different.

The temperature and pressure at this altitude are similar to those on Earth, and resilient microbes can survive in the clouds of Venus. Therefore, these clouds are being searched for possible signs of life. A German research team discovered oxygen in the atmosphere of Venus some time ago.

Phosphine in Venus' clouds could be evidence of possible life

Two research teams are now said to have found evidence in the clouds of Venus that could point to the possibility of life. One of the teams has once again detected signs of the molecule phosphine, which on Earth is only produced through industrial processes or by microbes. The first evidence of this gas was found in the fall of 2020, sparking great excitement and renewed interest in Venus. However, subsequent studies have largely failed to detect the molecule, sparking controversy in the scientific community.

A research team led by Dave Clements of Imperial College London has discovered new evidence of phosphine in the clouds of Venus using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii. “Our results suggest that phosphine is destroyed when the atmosphere is irradiated with sunlight,” said Clements. high guardian“All we can say is that phosphine is there. We don’t know what it produces. Maybe it’s the chemistry we don’t understand,” he said at the National Astronomy Meeting in Hull, UK.

Ammonia on Venus? Research Could Point to Possible Life

Another team, led by astronomer Jane Greaves of Cardiff University, presented evidence of ammonia on Venus at the National Astronomy Meeting. Her team discovered the molecule using the Green Bank Telescope. Greaves was already instrumental in the discovery of phosphine in Venus’ clouds in 2020.

Like phosphine, ammonia is produced on Earth either through industrial processes or by bacteria. But Graves still disputes this. guardian Cautiously: “Even if we both [Befunde] Certainly, this is not evidence that we have found these magical microbes and that they live there to this day.

Possibility of life on Venus? The research is “really exciting”

the gate IFLScience explains Greaves also explains why: “There are new models and explanations coming out all the time that say this is how you can get ammonia and phosphine and all sorts of other unexpected chemicals that have nothing to do with life. So we try not to promise too much, but yeah, it’s really exciting.” The results of both studies have only been presented so far at the National Astronomy Meeting and have not yet been published in scientific journals.

The new research results have also caught the attention of other scientists. Robert Massey of the Royal Astronomical Society told guardian“These are very exciting findings, but it should be emphasized that the results are only preliminary and more work is needed to learn more about the presence of these two potential biomarkers in the clouds of Venus.”

Discoveries on Venus: 'All cause for optimism'

“If they can clearly confirm the presence of phosphine and ammonia, it increases the possibility of a biological origin,” says astrophysicist Nikku Madhusudhan of the University of Cambridge. “If they can show that the signals are there, that’s good for them.”

Since the initial discovery of phosphine, scientific interest in Venus has increased again. Several missions to Earth's neighboring planet are planned in the coming years: NASA missions Da Vinci” And “Truth, honesty” And Jesus too-The “Imagination” mission It is scheduled to fly there in the early 2030s. These missions will provide new data about Earth's neighboring planet, and perhaps further evidence of life on Venus. (unpaid invoice)