A new study focused on the clouds of Venus may dash hopes for finding life on Earth’s hellish neighbor.
Last September, researchers sparked a media frenzy when they discovered a chemical called phosphine floating in the clouds of Venus. Phosphine is a toxic gas that typically forms as a byproduct of microbial life on Earth (though there are some natural sources, too). The finding caught astronomers off guard. Absent life, they couldn't explain the surplus of phosphine based on our current understanding of Venus.
"There is a chance we have detected some kind of living organism in the clouds of Venus," Cardiff University astronomer Jane Greaves, who led the United Kingdom-based team, said during their announcement of the discovery. "This is very exciting and was really very unexpected."
