Venus Shows Sign of Life, Elements Present on Earth Discovered

(Photo : Photo by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - JUNE 8: (ISRAEL OUT) The planet Venus is visible as a black dot as it transits across the face of the sun as seen from the Tel-Aviv university June 8, 2004 in Tel-Aviv, Israel. The rare astronomical event last occurred in 1882, while the next transit is due in 2012.

A report published in "Nature Astronomy" claimed that the upper levels of Venus' atmosphere possess a molecule that displays a sign of life in Venus.

Last Discovery on Venus

The discovery on Venus is said to be appalling as people had briefest of glimpses of a sterile landscape from two Russian landers that have been transported down to the ground in the 1980s.

Discovery of Phosphine

The detection of phosphine in Venus' atmosphere at parts-per-billion stages made headlines recently. According to Jane Greaves from the University of Cardiff and her colleagues, there are no known photochemical processes or geochemical for the gaseous compound to be produced on Venus, reported Webzoly.

The recent discovery in Venus' atmosphere is dubbed as exciting as it may serve as a probable sign of life (among other potential explanations). The scientists who published their discovery in "Nature Astronomy" could not grapple how the phosphine existed in Venus' atmosphere, reported Knowridge.

Physics World said that the Venus story has captured the public imagination in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the most recent episode of the "Physics World Stories" podcast, Andrew Glester takes a broad perspective of the detection: an inspiring example of lateral thinking, cooperation, and tenacity.

According to astrophysicist Joe Pesce on Venus showing a sign of life, "On Earth, phosphine gas is known to only be produced in a lab or through the action of bacteria and microbes. That's why it's exciting to discover phosphine outside of the Earth," reported The Hill.

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Scientists monitoring with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii traced the spectroscopic signature of the chemical compound in the Venusian clouds located an estimated 35 miles above the surface. Follow-up monitoring with Chile's Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array confirmed the detection.

Prospect Magazine noted that the recent detection of phosphine in Venus' atmosphere may be a major step towards answering questions regarding the origin of life. Venus is included in one of the few planets in the solar system that has not been suggested as a location for life.

1967 Speculation

In 1967, Harold Morowitz and Carl Sagan conjectured that Venus' clouds aka Shukra may harbor life. The recent discovery of phosphine from such clouds supports the possibility that microorganisms may indeed be airborne in them.

Space Probe

One space probe that has already been planning on a Venus flyover could offer new clues.

The BepiColombo probe is a cooperative mission between European and Japanese space programs. It has not yet been sent into space particularly to look for life but it may possess the capacity to provide details regarding the presence of phosphine in Venus' atmosphere.

Announcement

An international team of researchers, led by Jane Greaves of Cardiff University in Wales, on September 14 made the announcement of Venus' sign of life in the form of detection of phosphine gas pervading in layers of the planet's atmosphere where pressures and temperatures are relatively mild.