A new study published in Nature Astronomy has found that Venus, despite its similarities to Earth, has been an inhospitable world throughout its 4.6-billion-year history. The research suggests that the planet’s surface temperatures average 500°C and is surrounded by thick clouds of sulfuric acid, with an extremely dry atmosphere and interior.
This discovery challenges previous theories about Venus’ evolution, which proposed that it once had temperate conditions suitable for liquid water but was instead ravaged by a runaway greenhouse effect. Instead, the Cambridge team analyzed the chemical composition of Venus’ atmosphere to find that volcanic activity plays a crucial role in maintaining its atmosphere. However, the researchers discovered that volcanic gases on Venus contain at most 6% water, indicating a significantly dehydrated interior.
The findings have significant implications for our understanding of planetary habitability and the search for life beyond Earth. The study’s lead author notes that if Venus was never habitable, it makes Venus-like planets elsewhere less likely candidates for habitable conditions or life. This research highlights the importance of focusing on planets similar to Earth when searching for potential habitats for life.
The upcoming NASA DAVINCI mission will provide further insights into Venus’ history and composition, and by sending a probe to the planet’s surface, scientists hope to confirm whether Venus has always been the dry, inhospitable world suggested by this study. Despite the disappointing findings, the research ultimately contributes to a more focused search for life in the cosmos by narrowing the criteria for potentially habitable worlds.
Source: https://dailygalaxy.com/2024/12/a-blow-to-the-theory-of-water-on-venus-heres-what-researchers-discovered