Researchers have presented new evidence of the presence of two gases closely related to life on Earth in the atmosphere of Venus.
Astronomers showed new data on possible signs of life on Venus at a national astronomy conference in the UK. One group of researchers announced the preliminary detection of ammonia in the planet’s atmosphere. On Earth, it is mainly formed as a result of biological activity, in particular, microorganisms.
At the same time, another group of scientists provided new evidence for the presence of phosphine
While these discoveries do not provide definitive proof of life on Venus, they do provide interesting new data in our exploration of signs of current or ancient life in outer space.
Dave Clements, an astrophysicist at Imperial College London, suggests that life may have evolved on Venus: «If Venus once went through a warm, wet phase, then with the onset of global warming, life could have evolved to survive in the only niche left — clouds».
Despite the extreme conditions on the surface of Venus, the clouds at an altitude of approximately 48 kilometers have much milder temperatures and pressure levels similar to those on Earth. This makes them a potential habitat for microorganisms.
The discovery of phosphine on Venus in 2020 caused lively debate in the scientific world. Jane Greaves from Cardiff University and her team continued their research using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii.
«Our findings indicate that when the atmosphere is exposed to sunlight, phosphorus is destroyed, — Greaves told the conference. — All we can say is that there is phosphine there. We don’t know what produces it. It could be chemistry that we don’t understand. Or it could be life».
To get definitive answers, scientists are pinning their hopes on future missions. European Space Agency (ESA) endorsed the mission of Envision, which will study the internal and external atmosphere of Venus.
Recently, the US Space Agency took the first step in combining hip-hop and interplanetary travel. NASA’s Deep Space Network handed over lyrics «The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)» Missy Elliott to Venus.
Source: Futurism