Four years ago, a team of researchers led by Jane Greaves of Cardiff University announced the discovery of large amounts of phosphine in the clouds of Venus. The intriguing point was that this gas is associated with life on Earth.
The team of scientists therefore suggested that despite the highly acidic environment on Venus, life could flourish in the clouds. The assumption was too bold and therefore caused much controversy among scientists.
But Greaves and her colleagues have now provided new evidence to support their theory. This time, researchers found ammonia on Venus, which is known to be another gas linked to biological activity on Earth.
The team continues to claim that the second planet from the Sun has its own ecosystem.
“Maybe there is some kind of microbial life on Venus that produces ammonia, because this would be a nice way to regulate its own environment. As we know, ammonia would make the environment less acidic and more suitable for survival.
This acidity level would be on par with some of the most extreme places on Earth, so it’s not completely crazy.” say study author Greaves.
It’s true that there is still a gap between ‘not completely crazy’ and convincing evidence of extraterrestrial life.
“There are many other processes that can feed Venus’ atmosphere with ammonia. We understand why ammonia can be useful for life.
But we cannot understand how this ammonia or phosphine is produced, but the former has a functional purpose that seems logical,” says astrophysicist Dave Clements of Imperial College London, who provided isolated evidence for the existence of ammonia on Venus.
Professor Javier Martin-Torres, professor of planetary sciences at the University of Aberdeen, was the one who challenged Greaves’ arguments a few years ago. He concluded that the presence of water in Venus’ atmosphere is too small to make it suitable for any life.
But Torres agrees that the presence of ammonia in Venus’s highly acidic environment is intriguing. He said the discovery “challenges our understanding and suggests that more complex chemistry may be involved.”
Fortunately, NASA’s DAVINCI probe, which will delve into Venus’ atmosphere in the 2030s to study its composition, will put an end to the debate.
