The paper is Greaves et al., “Phosphine gas in the cloud decks of Venus,” Nature Astronomy 14 September 2020 . These levels, they indicate, likely peak at five parts per billion (ppm) and vary over time and depending on location. Not finding life on Venus would be disappointing. Astrobiology. Today, our mission remains the same: to empower people to evaluate the news and the world around them. This, they claim, is further bolstered by the JCMT spectra that indicated the chemical fingerprints of phosphine. While they have since indicated that their results are "tentative," they remain confident about the presence of phophene in Venus' atmosphere. part may be reproduced without the written permission. “So now I hear about this, and I’m delighted,” he says. (Blue shows observations at 283 nanometers, green represents 365 nm, and red representes 0.9 micron.) Phosphine gas found on Venus that could indicate signs of life Astronomers have found a key gas on Venus linked to human life, raising the “enticing possibility” the planet could be supporting life in some form. Post was not sent - check your e-mail addresses! That’s why some astronomers believe the compound isn’t there. Top coverage. Along with their colleagues, the two scientists continued to probe the idea. A gas that could indicate signs of life has been found on Venus. PLANET-C Project Team. Although that concentration is low, the researchers point out that phosphine produced by life on Earth can be found at even lower concentrations in … To see earlier posts, select the Archives at the top of this page. A gas present on Earth which is called phosphine, has been detected in the atmosphere of Venus, hinting towards unknown processes occurring on the planet, suggests a study authored by Cardiff University professor Jane Greaves and her colleagues which was published in the journal Nature Astronomy. Venus has roughly the same mass and size as Earth, so, from far away, the neighboring planet might look like a habitable world (SN: 10/4/19). “The argument that they were making was that there’s no way for phosphine to be produced by any known mechanism on Venus that does not involve life, which is a … Possible signs of life on Venus have experts on two sides of a controversy. Greaves et al. Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no Phosphine gas found on Venus. Phosphine gas detected in the clouds of Venus could be a sign of life or some strange unknown chemistry, Lisa Grossman reported in “Possible sign of life is found on Venus” (SN: 10/10/20 & … “Maybe when Venus comes around on the other side of the sun again,” Greaves says, “things will be better for us here on Earth.”, Questions or comments on this article? Subscribers, enter your e-mail address to access the Science News archives. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by e-mail. But it’s good science at work. We present next the discovery data, confirmation (and preliminary mapping) … The content is provided for information purposes only. The idea of searching for life on Venus “has been regarded as a pretty out-there concept,” says Planetary Science Institute astrobiologist David Grinspoon, who is based in Washington, D.C. Grinspoon has been publishing about the prospects for life on Venus since 1997, but was not involved in the new discovery. But several space agencies are considering missions that could fly in the next few decades. We do not guarantee individual replies due to extremely high volume of correspondence. On Venus, there are no known chemistry or photochemical pathways for its creation. In the past, scientists have speculated that life could exist in the planet's cloud deck, where temperatures are stable enough that extremophiles could survive. This document is subject to copyright. And it obligates us to go investigate further.”. A chemical you've likely never heard of has burst into the news thanks to scientists' announcement that they have detected phosphine, which they say may be a sign of life, in the clouds of Venus. Discovering phosphine gas doesn’t necessarily indicate there are aliens on Venus. David Rothery, The Open University. “One of those is a plastic,” she says. From this, they concluded that there "no statistically significant detection of phosphine" in Venus' atmosphere and that the previous results were, in fact, "spurious.". or, by Matt Williams, Universe Today. Venus: Could it really harbour life? Traces of a pungent gas that waft through the clouds of Venus may be emanations from aerial organisms – microbial life, but not as we know it.. Astronomers detected phosphine 30 miles up in … The information you enter will appear in your e-mail message and is not retained by Phys.org in any form. “Phosphine Gas in the Cloud Decks of Venus” in Nature Astronomy published on September 14, 2020. If true, this situation is similar to what scientists have observed on Mars, where methane levels wax and wane over the course of a Martian year and vary from place to place. An international team of astronomers, led by Professor Jane Greaves of Cardiff University, today announced the discovery of a rare molecule—phosphine—in the clouds of Venus. © Society for Science & the Public 2000–2020. (in stellar nuclear fusion), Gravitational lensing: deriving magnification of lensed image, Science X Daily and the Weekly Email Newsletter are free features that allow you to receive your favorite sci-tech news updates in your email inbox. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Privacy Policy An international team of astronomers, led by Professor Jane Greaves of Cardiff University, today announced the discovery of a rare molecule—phosphine—in the clouds of Venus. Phosphine has also been detected in the temperate zone of Venus' atmosphere (approximately 50 km (31 mi) altitude) at 20 ppb, a concentration which is not possible with known chemical processes. Thank you for taking your time to send in your valued opinion to Science X editors. A version of this article appears in the October 10, 2020 issue of Science News. Greaves, J.S. In fact, phosphine has been detected in Jupiter's atmosphere, where it forms as a result of planet-sized convective storms that generate tremendous amounts of energy. In addition to criticism, supporting evidence was also inspired by the team's original paper—which was also presented at VEXAG on November 17. Venus is a known natural radio emitter, and phosphine creates a characteristic “dip” in that emission due to its presence. It is phosphine that indicates the presence of life on earth. He is the author of The Genealogical Adam and Eve and the founding scientist of the blog Peaceful Science. Why it matters: The announcement that researchers may have spotted a signal of the gas phosphine in Venus' atmosphere was met with excitement by the public and scientists alike, heralded as a … Can iron form via processes like the r- or s-process? In one critique of the original study, researchers suggest that the signs of phosphine were coming from another common gas in Venus’ clouds, sulfur dioxide, which has a similar spectrogram. Is there life on Venus? If the discovery holds up, and if no other explanations for the gas are found, then the hellish planet next door could be the first to yield signs of extraterrestrial life — though those are very big ifs. Phosphine, a colourless but smelly gas, is known to be made only by some species of bacteria that survive in the absence of oxygen. Our nearest neighbor, Venus, has cloud decks that are temperate but hyper-acidic. At the very least, the sighting indicated that some unexpected chemistry was taking place. Furthermore, there is always question regarding the reliability of data. The only other explanation was bacteria floating in Venus's cloud deck. “I think a floating plastic factory is a less plausible explanation than just saying there’s phosphine.”. And the current harsh conditions haven’t stopped astrobiologists from speculating about niches on Venus where present-day life could hang on, such as the temperate cloud decks. Chimie. The aim was a benchmark for future developments, but unexpectedly, our initial observations suggested a detectable amount of Venusian phosphine was present. We report the apparent presence of phosphine (PH3) gas in Venusian atmosphere, where any phosphorus should be in oxidized forms. A paper on this discovery was published in … Astronomers have speculated for decades that high clouds on Venus could She lives near Boston. [17] Doubts about the existence of phosphine gas on Venus—a possible sign of … Discovering phosphine gas in Venus and claiming that it may be a a sign of life has been a controversial debate among experts. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1449240174198-2'); }); Shortly thereafter, a series of papers was published that questioned the observations and conclusions, with one team going as far as to say there was "no phosphine" in Venus's atmosphere at all. On Monday, a team of scientists announced its members had detected phosphine gas in the caustic, hot atmosphere of Venus. PLANET-C Project Team/JAXA. “We’re saying it’s a possible sign of life.”, Headlines and summaries of the latest Science News articles, delivered to your inbox. An announcement by an international team of astronomers about the discovery of phosphine gas in the atmosphere of Venus on Monday triggered global excitement about the possibility of the presence of lifeforms on the neighbouring planet. In one study, which was led by researchers from NASA Goddard and appeared in a Nature Astronomy article (Oct. 26, 2020), also cast doubt on the analysis and interpretation of the ALMA and JCMT datasets. Their revised findings were also presented at a meeting of the Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VEXAG), a NASA community forum, that took place on November 17. Phosphine takes a fair amount of energy to create and is easily destroyed by sunlight or sulfuric acid, which is found in Venus’ atmosphere. Published online September 14, 2020. doi:10.1038/s41550-020-1174-4. J.S. Atmospheric PH3 … “That’s a complete surprise,” Greaves says. Read our COVID-19 research and news. Venus’ atmosphere, shown here in a false-color image from Japan’s Akatsuki spacecraft, is best known for choking clouds of sulfuric acid. Jane Greaves (Cardiff University, UK) and colleagues published the possible discovery of phosphine gas in the cloud decks of Venus. Traces of a pungent gas that waft through the clouds of Venus may be emanations from aerial organisms – microbial life, but not as we know it.. Astronomers detected phosphine 30 miles up in … But up close, Venus is a scorching hellscape with sulfuric acid rain and crushing atmospheric pressures. Signs of phosphine on Venus can’t be easily explained without life. Astronomers See Phosphine Signal in Its Clouds. The gas absorbs light in that wavelength. Nat Astron, published online September 14, 2020; doi: 10.1038/s41550-020-1174-4. Some other molecules also absorb light near that wavelength, but those either couldn’t explain the whole signal or seemed improbable, Greaves says. Medical Xpress covers all medical research advances and health news, Tech Xplore covers the latest engineering, electronics and technology advances, Science X Network offers the most comprehensive sci-tech news coverage on the web. Science News was founded in 1921 as an independent, nonprofit source of accurate information on the latest news of science, medicine and technology. E-mail us at feedback@sciencenews.org. On Earth, phosphine is associated with microbes or industrial activity — although that doesn’t mean it’s pleasant. The idea was triggered recently after astronomers announced the discovery of phosphine gas in the atmosphere of the planet. Venus' phosphine puzzle Axios - Wed 25 Nov 11:15 GMT. In any case, these results demand further investigation and have led to renewed proposals for missions to Venus," possibly in the form of a balloon or an airship. 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