Astronomers Find Signs of Life in Clouds of Venus
Scientists at MIT and Cardiff University have observed what may be signs of life in the clouds of Venus. While they have not found direct evidence of living organisms on the planet, if their observation is indeed associated with life, it must be a kind of aerial life-form in Venus’ clouds, which are the only habitable portion. The astronomers detected a light-based signature of phosphine. MIT scientists had previously shown that if this poisonous gas were ever detected on a terrestrial planet, it could only be produced by a living organism there. After extensive analysis to see whether anything other than life could have produced phosphine in Venus’ harsh environment, the team has concluded that there is no other explanation for the gas detected in Venus' clouds besides the presence of life.