New research suggests that lifeforms alien to us may exist in Venus clouds.
Our closest planet neighbour has an atmospheric thickened with carbon dioxide, and a hot surface enough to melt lead. It’s hard to imagine any other world more unhospitable.
Scientists now believe the planet may be more habitable after they identify This chemical pathway allows life to create an environment that is neutralizing the acidic nature of Venus, creating an autonomous, habitable area in the cloud.
A new study claims that alien lifeforms “unlike any we have ever seen” may exist in Venus’ clouds. This is an artist’s rendering of the microbial life that this alien lifeform could be.
Nearly 50 years ago, experts were baffled at the discovery of ammonia. This colourless gas, made up of nitrogen and hydrogen, was first detected in Venus’ atmosphere in 1970.
The confusion lies in the fact that this should not be made by any chemical processes known to exist on the hellish world.
In the new study by Cardiff University, MIT and Cambridge University, researchers modelled a set A series of chemical reactions was used to demonstrate that ammonia would cause a chain reaction that would remove surrounding drops of sulfur acid.
This would be the ideal situation. The result is that the acidity of clouds drops from -11 to zero. Still very acidic on pH, it is still a point where life might survive.
The authors think that ammonia is derived from biological sources, not lightning or volcanic eruptions.
This suggests life may be creating its environment on Venus.
Sara Seager (MIT) said, “No known life could survive in Venus dropslets.”
“But the important thing is, perhaps some life exists and someone is trying to modify its environment so it can be lived in.
According to the researchers, their hypothesis can be confirmed with Venus-bound missions like Venus Life Finder (which is scheduled for launch in 2023).
They are most likely microbes that are similar to the bacteria on Earth, if they are right.
Professor Seager said, “Ammonia should not be on Venus.”
It has hydrogen attached and is very rare to find hydrogen. Every gas is considered suspicious if it doesn’t belong within its surroundings.
Researchers believe that ammonia may be responsible for most anomalies observed in Venus’ cloud clouds.
Ammonia, a waste product of aquatic organisms, is the most common substance on our planet.
Nearly 50 years ago, experts were baffled at the discovery of ammonia. This colourless gas, made up of nitrogen, oxygen and carbon, was first detected in Venus’ atmosphere in the 70s.
In fact, the team notes that there are life-forms on Earth — particularly in our own stomachs — that produce ammonia to neutralise and make liveable an otherwise highly-acidic environment.
The study’s co-author Dr William Bains from Cardiff University’s School of Physics and Astronomy said that while we know life can thrive in acidic environments, there is nothing quite as acidic as what the cloud of Venus was believed to have been.
“But, if there is ammonia, it will make some droplets in the cloud, which could neutralize them, potentially making them more habitable.”
Hopes of finding life on Venus have previously been dashed after a study published in July this year claimed that phosphine gas originally thought to be coming from microbes may actually be produced by volcanoes.
A team of scientists led by an expert from Cardiff University reported in September 2020 that trace amounts of the gas were detected in planet’s acidic cloud.
The Earth has many microorganisms that release phosphate, and these organisms don’t require oxygen to breathe. Researchers at the time speculated that Venus may be harboring life.
The latest study has been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.