Is there life on Venus? Perhaps, yes
A team of scientists has revealed compelling new evidence supporting the presence of phosphine, a gas associated with life on Earth, in the atmosphere of Venus. This announcement comes four years after their discovery was met with skepticism, because subsequent observations failed to match the findings. The latest data was presented at a Royal Astronomical Society meeting in Hull, England earlier this month.
New data strengthens evidence of phosphine on Venus
Dave Clements, an astrophysicist from Imperial College London, stated that the team's three observation campaigns yielded 140 times more data than their initial detection. He confirmed that the new findings once again indicate phosphine detections in Venus's atmosphere. The research was facilitated by a newly installed receiver on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii, which has increased confidence in these results.
Ammonia: Another potential sign of life on Venus
In addition to phosphine, evidence of another gas, ammonia, was presented at the same meeting. This discovery is considered potentially more significant than that of phosphine. Both gases are known to be produced by decaying organic matter or bacteria on Earth. However, their presence in Venus's atmosphere is unexpected and intriguing.
New data dismisses sulfur dioxide contamination theory
Previous research had suggested that the detected phosphine might actually be ordinary sulfur dioxide. However, Clements's new data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) dismisses this theory. He attributes previous inconsistencies in phosphine detection to timing differences between day and night observations. This clarification strengthens the case for phosphine's presence in Venus's atmosphere.
Old NASA data supports recent phosphine findings
Clements also cited a study led by Professor Rakesh Mogul from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. His research reanalyzed old data from NASA's Pioneer Venus Large Probe, and found evidence of phosphine inside Venus's clouds at around the part-per-million level. "It showed phosphine inside the clouds of Venus at around the part-per-million level, which is exactly what we have largely been detecting," Clements said.
