Scientists have long dreamed of finding extraterrestrial life, but Venus’s harsh environment has made it an unlikely candidate. But two new discoveries have scientists excited.
Astronomers have discovered two potential signs of life in the clouds of Venus: phosphine and ammonia, both of which are associated with life on Earth.
of Guardian The new findings were announced by scientists at the National Astronomy Conference in Hull on Wednesday, July 17th.
Strong evidence for phosphine
The surface of Venus is extremely hot, at 450°C, which is hot enough to melt most common metals. The atmosphere is also very dense, 90 times thicker than on Earth, and the clouds are filled with sulfuric acid. Curiously, however, at an altitude of about 50 kilometers, the temperature is not so high or compressed, and very hardy microorganisms may be able to survive there.
Phosphine was first discovered on Venus in 2020, but the discovery was controversial because the authors were unable to demonstrate detection.
On Earth, phosphine synthesis usually involves certain microorganisms, mainly in oxygen-free regions, and volcanoes can also release small amounts of phosphine, but the amounts are tiny.
New observations have confirmed its presence and even suggested a link to Venus’ day-night cycle. Dave Clements and a team from Imperial College London carried out the observations using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) in Hawaii, which they used to track the presence of phosphine signatures in Venus’ clouds.
This means: Phosphine Gas It’s definitely floating in the atmosphere of Venus.
“Our results suggest that phosphine is destroyed when the atmosphere is exposed to sunlight,” Clements said at the conference. Guardian report“All we can say is that phosphine is there. We don’t know what’s producing it. It could be a chemical reaction that we don’t understand. Or it could be life.”
Ammonia Puzzle
Another team, led by Professor Jane Greaves, an astronomer at Cardiff University, Venus Clouds.
The gas is also associated with life on Earth, produced by bacteria that metabolize nitrogen, and is also relevant to industrial processes.
During his speech, Greaves said the detections were preliminary and that further observation was needed for confirmation.
While the discovery is intriguing, it’s far from conclusive evidence of life on Venus — unknown chemical processes could be at work — but still, more research is needed.
“Even if we confirm these two facts, [findings]But that’s not proof that we’ve discovered these magical microbes, which are currently living there.
Venus is an extremely hostile world with an atmosphere filled with toxic gases, which makes finding life on Venus nearly impossible, although scientists believe that life may have thrived on Venus in the distant past, when it was more similar to Earth.
But millions of years ago, Venus underwent a dramatic climate change: Theories suggest that a runaway greenhouse effect occurred, trapping heat and making Venus’ atmosphere incredibly thick and hot.
This discovery raises new questions: What is producing these gases? Are they remnants of ancient life?
Perhaps NASA’s future missions, VERITAS and DAVINCI, may help find some direct evidence.
About the Editor
Mrigakshi Dixit Mrigakshi is a science journalist who likes to write about space exploration, biology, and technological innovations. Her works have been published in reputed publications like Nature India, Supercluster, The Weather Channel, Astronomy magazine, etc. If you have any suggestions, feel free to email her.
