Phosphine and ammonia on Venus: Potential signs of life?

Two teams of scientists have found evidence of the presence of phosphine and ammonia in the clouds on the planet Venus. This might suggest that some forms of life could exist there. The research findings were presented at the University of Hull.

According to a British newspaper, on Wednesday, the research team from Imperial College London presented evidence of phosphine, a toxic gas whose occurrence on Venus has been the subject of scientific discussions. Phosphine is produced in oxygen-poor environments such as badger intestines or penguin droppings. Another source of this gas is volcanic eruptions.

Simultaneously, another group of scientists from Cardiff University presented preliminary findings of their research, indicating ammonia's presence on Venus. Ammonia is a product of biological and industrial processes on Earth. Scientists are having difficulty explaining the presence of this gas on Venus using known atmospheric or geological phenomena.

Both gases are classified as biomarkers, which means they could indicate the presence of life. However, this is not conclusive evidence of extraterrestrial life. Nonetheless, these discoveries increased the likelihood of life on Venus in the past, and some elements may have survived in the planet's atmosphere.

Conditions on Venus are extreme - the pressure there is 90 times greater than on the Earth's surface, and the temperature can reach 450 degrees Celsius. Sulphuric acid clouds hover low over the planet's surface. However, about 50 kilometres above the surface, the conditions are much more similar to those on Earth and could potentially allow for the survival of very resilient microbes.

"Preliminary analysis of new observations with a new receiver on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), taken as part of the JCMT-Venus project, has confirmed the presence of phosphine and are hinting at larger amounts closer to the clouds," said Dr. Dave Clements.

During another lecture, Prof. Jane Greaves, an astronomer from Cardiff University, presented preliminary observations from the Green Bank Telescope, which suggest the existence of ammonia clouds on Venus.

Despite these discoveries, scientists remain cautious about the likelihood of life on the second planet from the Sun. Dr. Robert Massey from the Royal Astronomical Society stated that although these discoveries are exciting, they are preliminary results.

"Nevertheless, it is fascinating to think that these detections could point to either possible signs of life or some unknown chemical processes. It will be interesting to see what further investigations unearth over the coming months and years," he added.