Signs of life discovered on Venus

Astronomers have long speculated about possible life in Earth’s neighbor. Now researchers have tracked down a gas that indicates microbes could inhabit the inhospitable planet.

The US space agency Nasa sees the discovery of monophosphane gas on Venus as the biggest advance in the search for possible extraterrestrial life.

The discovery of this gas, which is associated with living organisms, is the most significant development so far in the search for evidence of life outside of Earth, NASA chief Jim Bridenstine wrote on Twitter.

Bridenstine noted that ten years ago, NASA discovered microbial life forms about 12,000 kilometers above Earth in our planet’s upper atmosphere. But now is the time to prioritize Venus in the search for extraterrestrial life.

A team of international researchers, led by astronomer Jane Greaves of Cardiff University, had previously reported in the journal Nature Astronomy that they had discovered traces of monophosphane in the cloud layer of Venus. On land, flammable gas often comes from organic sources.

Inhospitable planet

Scientists had explored the clouds over Venus with telescopes found in Hawaii and the Atacama Desert in Chile. But they emphasized that the discovery was not yet proof that life actually existed on Venus.

Conditions on Venus were not previously considered conducive to the existence of life. Temperatures on the planet can reach 500 degrees Celsius. The atmosphere of Venus is made up almost exclusively of carbon dioxide and therefore creates a strong greenhouse effect.

return to homepage