Dec 23, 2021 17:00:00

It is claimed that Venus's life form may live 'in the clouds', and it is possible that the existence of the life form will become clear within a few years.

Venus, which is called 'the twins of the earth ' because it is close in size and density to the earth, has a paper saying that 'there may be living organisms that neutralize acidic clouds and create a comfortable environment to live in.' It was published in PNAS, the journal of the National Academy of Sciences.

Production of ammonia makes Venusian clouds habitable and explains observed cloud-level chemical anomalies | PNAS
https://www.pnas.org/content/118/52/e2110889118

Alien Life? Acid-Neutralizing Life-Forms Could Make Habitable Pockets in Venus' Clouds
https://scitechdaily.com/alien-life-acid-neutralizing-life-forms-could-make-habitable-pockets-in-venus-clouds/

In September 2020, a research team led by Professor Sara Seager, a planetary scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, announced the results of a study showing the existence of a gas called phosphin in the atmosphere of Venus. Since phosphine, which also exists on Earth, is synthesized mainly by the activity of living things, this discovery that raised the possibility of life on Venus at once is 'the greatest progress in the history of extraterrestrial life exploration.' It is evaluated as.

'Maximum' progress in the history of extraterrestrial exploration, traces of life in the atmosphere of Venus --GIGAZINE

It is also known that Venus contains ammonia, which is a chemical substance synthesized by life activities like phosphine. Venus's ammonia was discovered in the 1970s, but there is a theory that it was produced by life because it cannot be explained by the known chemical processes that can occur on Venus.

However, since Venus has a harsh environment for life such as the high temperature surface of 400 degrees or more and the atmosphere covered with a cloud of strong acid made of sulfuric acid, it is doubtful that Venus may have life. There are many voices. Therefore, the research team of Professor Seger and others conducted a study to look for signs of life on Venus that had been overlooked so far by scrutinizing past observation records of Venus. As a result, it was found that there are more substances such as oxygen and water on Venus than previously expected.

Based on these clues, the research team modeled a series of chemical processes and found that 'when there are organisms that synthesize ammonia in the atmosphere of Venus, oxygen is naturally generated.' We also found that when ammonia dissolves in sulfuric acid droplets, the acid is neutralized, leaving the acidic cloud in a relatively life-friendly state. The results of this research do not support the existence of life on Venus, but assuming that there is life on Venus, it is possible to explain many of the unexplained mysteries, and there is an environment in which life is likely to exist on Venus. It shows what you can do.

Regarding the research results, Professor Seger said, 'There is a very acidic environment where life exists on the earth, but Venus is an even more severe place. But life is neutralizing that acidic environment. If so, the story is different. '' Venus cannot have ammonia, so the existence of life is naturally suspected. In this way, Venus still has an unexplained mystery, and life exists. It has the potential to do so. '

Professor Seger has been a senior researcher in the private project 'Venus Life Finder Missions ' that sends spacecraft to Venus in multiple times from 2023 to search for life, and whether there is life on Venus within the next few years at the earliest. Is expected to be understood.