psp
Jun 30, 2025
In 2020, scientists analyzing data from the European Space Agency's Trace Gas Orbiter and NASA's Akatsuki mission found traces of phosphine gas in Venus's clouds. On Earth, phosphine is produced mainly by microbial life, and its presence on Venus raised intriguing questions about potential biological processes happening in its harsh atmosphere.
Why It’s Groundbreaking:
Venus’s surface conditions are extremely hot and inhospitable, making life unlikely there, but its clouds could harbor microbe-like organisms that thrive in sulfuric cloud layers.
The detection suggests that Venus might have more complex and active chemical processes than previously understood, possibly involving biological activity.
How It Was Discovered:
The team used radio telescopes, specifically the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile and the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) in Hawaii.
They analyzed spectral data from Venus's atmospheric clouds and detected a spectral line consistent with phosphine (PH₃) at about 20 parts per billion levels.
Significance of Phosphine:
On Earth, phosphine is produced mainly by anaerobic microbes in oxygen-free environments — there are no known abiotic geological processes on Venus that could produce it in such quantities.
Its presence suggested that either unknown chemical processes are occurring or potentially, microbial life exists in the clouds where temperatures and pressures are less extreme.
Key Researchers & Institutions:
The detection of phosphine in Venus's clouds was primarily reported by an international team led by Sandra Knudson (from the University of Arizona) and Jane Greaves (astronomer at Cardiff University).
The findings were published in 2020 in the journal Nature Astronomy.
Agency and Supporting Missions:
NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have long-standing interests in Venus.
The recent detection was achieved using ground-based telescopes, but NASA’s upcoming missions like VERITAS (probing Venus’s surface) and EnVision (analyzing Venus’s atmosphere and surface) aim to further explore these findings.
Implications for Future Exploration:
This discovery has intensified interest in sending dedicated missions to Venus to analyze atmospheric chemistry and search for signs of life.
It challenges the long-held view that life can only exist on planets with Earth-like conditions, expanding the search for extraterrestrial life into more diverse environments.