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The combination of one phosphorus and three hydrogen atoms (PH3) is created mainly on earth through biological processes that take place in the absence of oxygen.
However, the evidence in Venus’ atmosphere is not reliable evidence for a biological source on Earth’s neighboring planet, writes the team around Cardiff University’s Jane Greaves in the journal “Nature Astronomy.” Initially, it only indicates unknown geological or chemical processes. In a specially convened press conference Monday afternoon, the authors did not rule out the possibility that there could be life on Venus.
Venus is similar in size to Earth, but is shrouded in thick cloud cover. Due to a strong greenhouse effect, there are several hundred degrees Celsius on the surface of Venus, it is too hot for life. However, in the upper layers of the atmosphere, between 50 and 60 kilometers above the surface, relatively moderate temperatures could allow life, which has led to speculation about floating microorganisms.
Scientists had analyzed Venus with the James Clerk Maxwell telescope in Hawaii and the Atacama telescope field in the Chilean Andes. In doing so, they discovered spectral lines that only occur in monophosphine. However, the clouds on Venus are very acidic, which should destroy the connection quickly. Therefore, it must be recreated regularly to account for the measured concentration of around 20 parts in a billion parts of atmosphere (parts per trillion, ppb, particles per trillion, note).
Origin of gas “a secret”
So the team investigated several possible sources of the extremely toxic gas, such as micrometeorites, lightning strikes, and chemical processes in clouds and on the planet’s surface. However, this does not explain the origin of the monophosphane, the researchers report. This suggests that previously unknown photochemical or geochemical processes exist on Venus.
“We are not saying we found life on Venus,” Massachusetts Institute of Technology co-author Sara Seager said at the news conference. “We have detected monophosphine gas, whose origin is a secret.” Venus is now moving up the rankings of those celestial bodies in the solar system in which life might be possible, he said. To resolve the doubt, it would be an advantage to visit the planet to take measurements on site, the team emphasizes in its specialized article.
