Last year, phosphane gas, considered to be the signature of life, was discovered in the clouds of Venus. The discovery sparked new interest in the “Earth twin” and sparked debate in the scientific community that we should seek life not only on Mars, but also on this planet’s atmosphere, the portal writes. IFL Science.
However, phosphate can be explained by volcanic activity, so it is not entirely clear whether life actually exists in the clouds of Venus. Fortunately, two scientific journeys attempt to uncover the truth. Meanwhile, a team of scientists has published a study that claims that life on Venus is at least theoretically possible. But if it had, it would have been different from everything we know.
Mentioned at the beginning of the study Detection of ammonia, Behind it stands the Soviet mission Venus 8 and the American spacecraft pioneer. Ammonia should not be in the atmosphere of Venus, at least according to the current understanding of the planet. So scientists say we are losing understanding of the planetary processes that can create this substance.
Scientists, in their new work, also provide an explanation for this mysterious process, which is very daring. They ask if there can still be life in the clouds of Venus, which would also be through the detected ammonia.. With this substance, they assume that organisms living in clouds will lighten the sulfuric acid-rich environment. Ammonia neutralizes sulfuric acid and initiates a chain of chemical reactions that explain the planet’s atmospheric composition.
“As far as we know, life cannot exist in the atmosphere of Venus. However, our mission suggests the existence of an organism that can adapt to its environment and survive in it,” said Sarah Seeker, one of the authors.
Plan to reveal life in the clouds of Venus
The bold claims of the scientists required great evidence, but the authors of the study took this into account. They have a list of events to look out for in future travels on the planet’s atmosphere. If their theory were legal, they would find evidence that sulfur dioxide is neutral in the atmosphere of ammonia, oxygen and silver.
There are also some ambiguities with the bold hypothesis. If there were life in the clouds of Venus, how could it survive in an arid environment. One possibility is that it produces water by neutralizing sulfur dioxide, but scientists do not know what will happen to the water after that. If there is no life in the clouds of Venus, what chemical processes can explain what is happening in this layer?
At least three science trips will visit Venus in the future. The US space agency NASA is producing Veritas and Da Vinci + missions. It will start in 2028 and 2030. The mission is also planned by the European Space Agency. This is called the Envision Venus. These scientific missions try and unravel the mysteries of this planet He finds life in the clouds of VenusCreator of acceptable living conditions.