Astronomers found a gas in #Venus's clouds that could signal #alien life
businessinsider.in/science/news/a…
#Venus' carbon-dioxide-rich atmosphere and high temperatures make the planet's surface inhospitable to life. But new research suggests the clouds surrounding Venus could harbor microbial life.
#LifeOnVenus #space
A new study found traces of #Phosphine — a gas typically produced by anaerobic microbes on Earth — in the upper reaches of #Venus's clouds. The researchers said the phosphine's origin "could be unknown photochemistry or geochemistry, or possibly life."
#LifeOnVenus #space
The authors of the study weren't able to verify the origin of the #phosphine, but they said that none of the other potential sources they investigated, like volcanic activity on #Venus, could explain the amount of the gas they found.
#LifeOnVenus #space
"We really went through all possible pathways that could produce #phosphine on a rocky planet," Janusz Petkowski, an author of the new study, told MIT News. "If this is not life, then our understanding of rocky planets is severely lacking."
#LifeOnVenus #space
According to @NASA administrator @JimBridenstine, the discovery "is the most significant development yet in building the case for life off Earth."
"It's time to prioritize Venus," he tweeted Monday.
#LifeOnVenus #space
To get a clear look inside #Venus' clouds, astronomers need to send a probe. @NASA has for decades researched and partly funded conceptual missions to Venus, but the agency hasn't launched a dedicated mission to the planet since 1989.
#LifeOnVenus #space
Europe and Japan, meanwhile, put spacecraft into orbit around #Venus in 2006 and 2015, but those weren't equipped to seek out signs of life.
#LifeOnVenus #space
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.