Imagining life on other planets is all fun and exciting, but when science tells you no such thing can happen at all, it could be pretty disappointing.
Venus is the perfect example, and scientists explain us in a new paper why there’s no life on the planet. Apparently, the lack of water rules out life up there.
Here is what you need to know.
No Water, No Life
A team of bold scientists led by Queen’s University Belfast tried to find anything that could explain Venus’s case.
The search for any signs of life on Venus has proved so far fruitless. The reason?
Sturdy atmosphere
The recent study includes measurements of water concentration in Venus’s atmosphere. The results show that any signs of life are not possible among the sulphuric acid droplets that make up the planet’s cloudy skies.
“We bent over backwards to argue that the most extreme, tolerant microbes on Earth could potentially have activity on Venus,” explained John Hallsworth, a microbiologist.
The Search For Life Continues
Three Venus missions are scheduled for sometime around 2030 to confirm the measurements used for the recent study.
One of the missions could finally shed some light on whether life could have existed before on Venus, like several billion years ago, or not.
Other missions will try to reach the planet’s atmosphere and examine trace gases. This technique can tell us more about Venus’s history and how much atmosphere it had in the beginning, what happened to it, and where did it go?
Of course, these missions are genuinely intriguing, but there will be many challenges until we got there.
Jupiter Might Have What it Needs
Scientists also examined measurements taken from probes that visited other planets. What’s fascinating is that they found potentially the right amount of water activity to support life in Jupiter’s clouds.
As per scientists’ findings, there is at least a layer in the clouds of Jupiter where the water requirements are sufficient. And that’s really optimistic!
Of course, more research will soon follow, but the chances to find a planet with any signs of life are now more possible than previously believed.
