More doubts cast on potential signs of life on Venus

 An international team of astronomers Monday announced the invention of a rare gas molecule — phosphine — within the clouds of Venus, which can be the primary solid evidence of extraterrestrial life within the scheme.  

The researchers say on Earth, phosphine is merely made industrially or by microbes that thrive in oxygen-free environments. The international team, which has researchers from Britain, the U.S., and Japan, published their findings in two papers — the science journal Nature on Monday, and Astrobiology journal on Saturday.

Phosphine was first spotted in observations that were made by Cardiff University astronomer Jane Greaves using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) in Hawaii. the invention was then confirmed employing a more sensitive radio reflector, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile.  

Radio telescope antennas of the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) project, within the Atacama Desert, some 1500 km north of Santiago, Chile, March 12,2013. The ALMA, a world partnership project of Europe, North America, and East...

FILE - radio reflector antennas of the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) project, within the desert, Chile, March 12,2013.

The team estimates that phosphine exists in Venus’ clouds at a tiny low concentration, only about 20 molecules in every billion. Still, after running several calculations, they determined there have been no non-biological sources on the world that would account for the amount of phosphine they found within the atmosphere. 

Astronomers have speculated for many years that top clouds on Venus could offer a home for microbes — floating freed from the scorching surface but desirous to tolerate very high acidity. they are saying the detection of phosphine could point to such extra-terrestrial “aerial” life. 

Another member of the team, Massachusetts Institute of Technology molecular astrophysicist Clara Sousa Silva, has investigated phosphine as a “biosignature” gas of non-oxygen-using life on planets around other stars. She said finding it on Venus is exciting and extraordinary.  

But she said it raises many questions regarding how any organisms if they exist, could survive within the planet’s atmosphere, where clouds are made of about 90% acid. So, team members acknowledge that confirming the presence of “life” needs lots more work.