After the multiple conjectures regarding planet Venus not being able to conceive life forms, researchers from Cardiff University, MIT and Cambridge University have stated that it indeed can.
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Researchers think that there might be ‘very unlike anything we've seen’ possible lifeforms creating ammonia in Venus' clouds. But, if there is life in the clouds, it will most likely be microorganisms similar to those found on Earth.
Read on to find out what science has to say.
Clouds of Ammonia
The Ammonia present in the clouds surrounding the celestial object is suspected to hold alien life forms, in spite of the scorching heat.
Venus is so hot that life is impossible to imagine in it. But, the colourless gas, which is made up of nitrogen and hydrogen, might signal chemical processes that would be more suitable for extraterrestrial life.
Researchers used a chemical simulation to show that if ammonia is present, it will trigger a chain of chemical reactions that will neutralize surrounding sulphuric acid droplets. Even on Earth, there exists organisms that utilize ammonia (NH3) to neutralise their environments to make it habitable.
So co-author of the study Dr William Bains, from Cardiff University’s School of Physics and Astronomy states that:
We know that life can grow in acid environments on Earth, but nothing as acid as the clouds of Venus were believed to be. But if something is making ammonia in the clouds, then that will neutralize some of the droplets, making them potentially more habitable.
Future plans
This lead will help us uncover more of the unknown, and The Venus Life Finder mission, a series of privately-funded space exploration projects, is set to investigate cloud particles in Venus by 2023.
Dr. Bains further adds:
There are many other challenges for life to overcome if it is to live in the clouds of Venus. There is almost no water there for a start, and all life that we know of needs water.
But if life is there, then neutralizing the acid will make the clouds just a bit more habitable than we thought.
But extraterrestrial life discovery will take some time, research and equipments.
