The clouds of Venus are made up of sulfuric acid droplets that are highly corrosive and deadly to humans. However, the presence of ammonia inside these droplets can act as a buffer, making the environment more survivable. This has led scientists to speculate about the possibility of microbial life on Venus.
Dr. Clements points out that the role of ammonia is easier to understand than phosphine, which is another substance found in the clouds. While phosphine could be a sign of biological activity, it’s not clear how it’s produced.
Greaves cautions that even the presence of both phosphine and ammonia wouldn’t necessarily mean there’s microbial life on Venus. We need more data and observations to confirm this.
Javier Martin-Torres, a professor at the University of Aberdeen, is cautious about the findings, emphasizing the need for a thorough scientific investigation. He notes that the discovery of ammonia and phosphine opens up new avenues for research but should be approached with skepticism.
Kate Pattle, a lecturer at University College London, agrees that the presence of phosphine and ammonia is intriguing, but emphasizes that these results are preliminary and require independent confirmation. She looks forward to upcoming missions like the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer and DAVINCI, which may provide answers to the questions raised by recent observations.
Overall, while the findings are exciting, they warrant careful consideration and further study before we can say for sure whether there’s microbial life on Venus or not.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/29/science/venus-gases-phosphine-ammonia/index.html