Scientists Have Discovered Possible Signs of Life on Venus
“Venus has been ignored by NASA for so long.”
We may not be alone in the universe after all. A group of scientists have recently discovered what could possibly be signs of life beyond Earth, as close as within our Solar System: on the planet Venus.
While the astronomy world has grown a strong captivation toward the little red planet Mars, some scientists have turned their research onto Venus, and have found the presence of a chemical known as phosphine within the planet’s atmosphere. Phosphine is a biosignature gas, which means that its existence could suggest life on the planet. Of course, its not conclusive evidence of life, and why there is phospine on this Earth-like planet has yet to be understood.
Despite this, it’s still a thrilling discovery within the world of astrophysics. “This is an astonishing and ‘out of the blue’ finding,” Sara Seager, author of the paper and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said during an interview with The New York Times. “It will definitely fuel more research into the possibilities for life in Venus’s atmosphere.”
“We know that it is an extraordinary discovery,” said Harvard University molecular astrophysicist Clara Sousa-Silva, who specifically studies phosphine and co-authored the new research papers. “We may not know just how extraordinary without going back to Venus.”
Sarah Stewart Johnson of Georgetown University added: “There’s been a lot of buzz about phosphine as a biosignature gas for exoplanets recently. How cool to find it on Venus. Venus has been ignored by NASA for so long. It’s really a shame.”
In other tech-related news, NVIDIA is acquiring chip design firm Arm Limited for $40 billion USD.
