Venus' phosphine puzzle Axios - Wed 25 Nov 11:15 GMT. Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. Not finding life on Venus would be disappointing. She has a degree in astronomy from Cornell University and a graduate certificate in science writing from University of California, Santa Cruz. The discovery of phosphine gas in the clouds of Venus could possibly indicate signs of life on the planet, scientists have said. Recent Comments. Venus’ atmosphere, shown here in a false-color image from Japan’s Akatsuki spacecraft, is best known for choking clouds of sulfuric acid. On Venus, there are no known chemistry or photochemical pathways for its creation. Astrobiology. In fact, phosphine has been detected in Jupiter's atmosphere, where it forms as a result of planet-sized convective storms that generate tremendous amounts of energy. On Earth, phosphine is associated with microbes or industrial activity — although that doesn’t mean it’s pleasant. The MIT paper is Bains et al., “Phosphine on Venus Cannot be Explained by Conventional Processes,” submitted to Astrobiology – Special Collection: Venus . and 18 others, Phosphine gas in the cloud decks of Venus, Nature Astronomy, 14 Sep 2020.Return to text. Gas spotted in Venus’s clouds could be a sign of alien life. Published in . Our nearest neighbor, Venus, has cloud decks that are temperate but hyper-acidic. Your opinions are important to us. Still, when Greaves and colleagues searched Venus’ skies for signs of phosphine, the researchers didn’t expect to actually find any. Observations they had planned for the spring were put on hold by the coronavirus pandemic. Scientists are trying to parse out whether a possible sign of life seen in Venus' clouds is truly there. (Blue shows observations at 283 nanometers, green represents 365 nm, and red representes 0.9 micron.) part may be reproduced without the written permission. 1719 N Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036, Giant pandas may roll in horse poop to feel warm, Dog ticks may get more of a taste for human blood as the climate changes, Mineral body armor helps some leaf-cutting ants win fights with bigger kin, Ancient people may have survived desert droughts by melting ice in lava tubes, Here are answers to 6 burning questions about COVID-19 vaccines, Two stones fuel debate over when America’s first settlers arrived, An enormous supervolcano may be hiding under Alaskan islands, Ancient humans may have deliberately voyaged to Japan’s Ryukyu Islands, Hayabusa2’s asteroid dirt may hold clues to the early solar system, Here are 10 of Arecibo’s coolest achievements, Why losing Arecibo is a big deal for astronomy, The new light-based quantum computer Jiuzhang has achieved quantum supremacy, Newton’s groundbreaking Principia may have been more popular than previously thought, Supercooled water has been caught morphing between two forms, phosphine could be a promising biosignature, Phosphine gas in the cloud decks of Venus, Phosphine as a biosignature gas in exoplanet atmospheres, Doubts over a ‘possible sign of life’ on Venus show how science works, Readers ask about life on Venus and high-energy cosmic rays, Hope for life on Venus survives for centuries against all odds, 50 years ago, scientists caught their first glimpse of amino acids from outer space, December’s stunning Geminid meteor shower is born from a humble asteroid, China is about to collect the first moon rocks since the 1970s, Astronomers spotted colliding neutron stars that may have formed a magnetar, Runaway stars may create the mysterious ultraviolet glow around some galaxies. Why it matters: The announcement that researchers may have spotted a signal of the gas phosphine in Venus' atmosphere was met with excitement by the public and scientists alike, heralded as a … “Fifty kilometers above the surface of Venus, the conditions are what you would find if you walk out of your door right now,” at least in terms of atmospheric pressure and temperature, says planetary scientist Sanjay Limaye of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, who was not involved in the new study. On September 14th, an international team of scientists led by Jane Greaves (Cardiff University) published an unexpected result in Nature Astronomy: the detection of phosphine gas in the relatively cool cloud decks of Venus.. Damia Bouic, an amateur image processor, combined Akatsuki images taken through its UV1 filter — at different distances — to create this composite image. Your feedback will go directly to Science X editors. The only non-organic (AKA abiotic) mechanism for the production of phosphine involves high temperatures and pressures, which are common within the atmospheres of gas giants. Phosphine gas detected in the clouds of Venus could be a sign of life or some strange unknown chemistry, Lisa Grossman reported in “Possible sign of life is found on Venus” (SN: 10/10/20 & … The news was met with its fair share of skepticism and controversy since phosphine is considered a possible indication of life (AKA a biosignature). Here's why the latest discovery by astronomers has triggered excitement. Anaerobic microbes living in such places as sewage, swamps and the intestinal tracts of animals from penguins to people are the only known life-forms on Earth that produce the molecule. He is the author of The Genealogical Adam and Eve and the founding scientist of the blog Peaceful Science. The chemistry is alien, but “that’s a hospitable environment for life.”. Phosphine Gas in the Cloud Decks of Venus ... of order parts-per-billion on Venus, comparable to phosphine production of some anaerobic Earth ecosystems10. This is the team's first public response to the criticisms that were made in the wake of their original findings. ; Kaufman, M., Strong doubts arise about the reported phosphine biosignature in the atmosphere of Venus, manyworlds.space, 4 Nov 2020. This document is subject to copyright. Along with their colleagues, the two scientists continued to probe the idea. Phosphine as a biosignature gas in exoplanet atmospheres. A gas present on Earth which is called phosphine, has been detected in the atmosphere of Venus, hinting towards unknown processes occurring on the planet, suggests a study authored by Cardiff University professor Jane Greaves and her colleagues which was published in the journal Nature Astronomy. [17] This site uses cookies to assist with navigation, analyse your use of our services, and provide content from third parties. The universe is full of mysteries and unknown things. The study by Professor Jane Greaves, of the British University of Cardiff, published in mid-September, had made the headlines, with the "apparent presence" of phosphine on Venus. The study garnered a lot of media attention because on Earth the molecule is a biosignature associated solely with life. There is no known geochemical process that can produce phosphine. To see earlier posts, select the Archives at the top of this page. Based on the new ALMA data, the team estimates that phosphine levels average at about 1 ppb—about one-seventh of their earlier estimate. Venus' phosphine puzzle. It’s terrifying,” Sousa-Silva says. Venus lacks the high temperatures and pressures to form phosphine the way gas giants such as Jupiter do; thus another explanation for its presence is required. But surprisingly, the clouds seem to contain phosphine, a potential sign of life. This, they claim, is further bolstered by the JCMT spectra that indicated the chemical fingerprints of phosphine. A version of this article appears in the October 10, 2020 issue of Science News. Yesterday, September 14, 2020, an article in Nature Astronomy reported careful measurements consistent with trace amounts of phosphine gas in the cloud decks of Venus. A gas that could indicate signs of life has been found on Venus. In any case, these results demand further investigation and have led to renewed proposals for missions to Venus," possibly in the form of a balloon or an airship. We do not guarantee individual replies due to extremely high volume of correspondence. The chemical structure of phosphine according to Wikipedia.. Is there life on Venus? “Not because I want to declare victory and say this is definite evidence of life on Venus. An unexpected discovery in the clouds of Venus has scientists buzzing. Here, the research team indicated that the spectral data that was interpreted as phosphine (PH3) was actually too close to sulfur dioxide (SO2), which is common in Venus atmosphere. Measurements of trace-gases in planetary atmospheres help us explore chemical conditions different to those on Earth. When the corrected ALMA data was posted on November 16th, Greaves and her colleagues ran a fresh analysis and posted it ahead of peer review on arXiv. Nature Astronomy. The idea of searching for life on Venus “has been regarded as a pretty out-there concept,” says Planetary Science Institute astrobiologist David Grinspoon, who is based in Washington, D.C. Grinspoon has been publishing about the prospects for life on Venus since 1997, but was not involved in the new discovery. Whether this compound exists there or not, Venus is still a bundle of mysteries just waiting to be solved! But several space agencies are considering missions that could fly in the next few decades. Phosphine gas found on Venus. “I think a floating plastic factory is a less plausible explanation than just saying there’s phosphine.”. C. Sousa-Silva et al. A team of international scientists have detected traces of phosphine gas in the atmosphere of Venus. The aim was a benchmark for future developments, but unexpectedly, our initial observations suggested a detectable amount of Venusian phosphine was present. After Greaves saw what looked like phosphine on Venus, the handle seemed even more apt. But it’s good science at work. Previous work led by astrochemist Clara Sousa-Silva at MIT suggested that phosphine could be a promising biosignature, a chemical signature of life that can be detected in the atmospheres of other planets using Earth-based or space telescopes. Some of those processes could produce trace amounts of phosphine, the team found, but orders of magnitude less than the team detected. Discovering phosphine gas in Venus and claiming that it may be a a sign of life has been a controversial debate among experts. There was also the recent announcement that the amino acid glycine was discovered in Venus's atmosphere, another potential biomarker. Deep within Jupiter and Saturn, high temperatures and extreme pressures combine to create phosphine spontaneously. The discovery of phosphine gas in the clouds of Venus could possibly indicate signs of life on the planet, scientists have said. Phosphine gas found in Venus’ atmosphere may be ‘a possible sign of life’ Astronomers detected signs of a smelly, toxic gas that microbes can make in the planet’s clouds Venus… Published online September 14, 2020. doi:10.1038/s41550-020-1174-4. “Phosphine Gas in the Cloud Decks of Venus” in Nature Astronomy published on September 14, 2020. Astronomers have speculated for decades that high clouds on Venus could Something deadly might be wafting through the clouds shrouding Venus—a smelly, flammable gas called phosphine that annihilates life-forms reliant on oxygen for survival. If true, this situation is similar to what scientists have observed on Mars, where methane levels wax and wane over the course of a Martian year and vary from place to place. Either we don’t understand phosphorus or phosphine chemistry and Venus’s atmosphere, or there’s some life. The search for life in our solar system got a lot more exciting this week. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no Science News was founded in 1921 as an independent, nonprofit source of accurate information on the latest news of science, medicine and technology. Phosphine takes a fair amount of energy to create and is easily destroyed by sunlight or sulfuric acid, which is found in Venus’ atmosphere. Phosphine gas in the cloud decks of Venus. Greaves looked at Venus with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii over five mornings in June 2017, aiming to set a detectability benchmark for future studies seeking the gas in the atmospheres of exoplanets (SN: 5/4/20), but was startled to find the hints of phosphine. Jane Greaves (Cardiff University) and colleagues published the possible discovery of phosphine gas in the cloud decks of Venus. It is published by Society for Science & the Public, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education. Subscribers, enter your e-mail address to access the Science News archives. Based on their reanalysis of the data, Mogul and his colleagues found evidence of phosphorus. Published online January 31, 2020. doi:10.1089/ast.2018.1954. Can iron form via processes like the r- or s-process? However, phosphine has been detected in the hydrogen-rich atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn, where it's generated deep inside the gas giants in conditions far more extreme than those found on Venus. And it obligates us to go investigate further.”. Jane Greaves (Cardiff University, UK) and colleagues published the possible discovery of phosphine gas in the cloud decks of Venus. An international team of astronomers recently announced the discovery of a rare molecule — phosphine — in the clouds of Venus. Traces of phosphine, or pnictogen hydride, a deadly gas, have been traced in … According to Greaves and her colleagues, the ALMA data demonstrated a spectral signature that cannot be explained by anything other than the compound phosphene. An announcement by an international team of astronomers about the discovery of phosphine gas in the atmosphere of Venus on Monday triggered global excitement about the possibility of the presence of lifeforms on the neighbouring planet. Phosphine gas was first detected on Venus in 2017 by Jane Greaves, an astrobiologist and professor of astronomy at the University of Cardiff in Wales and the lead author of the new study. Is there life on Venus? PLANET-C Project Team. Some other molecules also absorb light near that wavelength, but those either couldn’t explain the whole signal or seemed improbable, Greaves says. She hopes other scientists will come up with other explanations. Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose. Medical Xpress covers all medical research advances and health news, Tech Xplore covers the latest engineering, electronics and technology advances, Science X Network offers the most comprehensive sci-tech news coverage on the web. Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1449240174198-2'); }); Shortly thereafter, a series of papers was published that questioned the observations and conclusions, with one team going as far as to say there was "no phosphine" in Venus's atmosphere at all. In the meantime, Greaves and colleagues want to confirm the new phosphine detection in other wavelengths of light. (in stellar nuclear fusion), Gravitational lensing: deriving magnification of lensed image, Science X Daily and the Weekly Email Newsletter are free features that allow you to receive your favorite sci-tech news updates in your email inbox. E-mail us at feedback@sciencenews.org. Single-line millimeter-waveband spectral detections (quality up to ~15 sigma) from the JCMT and ALMA telescopes have no other plausible identification. The New York Times . PLANET-C Project Team/JAXA. “That’s a complete surprise,” Greaves says. From this, they concluded that there "no statistically significant detection of phosphine" in Venus' atmosphere and that the previous results were, in fact, "spurious.". “We’re saying it’s a possible sign of life.”, Headlines and summaries of the latest Science News articles, delivered to your inbox. Left panel shows the PH3 1-0 spectrum of the whole planet, with 1σ errors (here channel-to-channel) of 0.11 10-4 per 1.1 km/s spectral bin. In one study, which was led by researchers from NASA Goddard and appeared in a Nature Astronomy article (Oct. 26, 2020), also cast doubt on the analysis and interpretation of the ALMA and JCMT datasets. And the current harsh conditions haven’t stopped astrobiologists from speculating about niches on Venus where present-day life could hang on, such as the temperate cloud decks. These observation results were presented in J. S. Greaves et al. Phosphine gas, seen on Venus, is also produced by bacteria on Earth — but we don't know exactly how Phosphine is considered a marker of anaerobic life — … Solar Activity and Space Weather Update thread, Where do the electrons go? Venus has roughly the same mass and size as Earth, so, from far away, the neighboring planet might look like a habitable world (SN: 10/4/19). When she was analyzing the observations, “I thought ‘Oh, I must have done it wrong.’”, So the team checked again with a more powerful telescope, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in Chile, in March 2019. Their revised findings were also presented at a meeting of the Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VEXAG), a NASA community forum, that took place on November 17. Phosphine (PH 3) is found here on Earth, as well as on the Solar System’s gas giants. At the very least, the sighting indicated that some unexpected chemistry was taking place. Luckily, after re-analyzing the ALMA data, the team responsible for the original discovery concluded that there is indeed phosphine in the cloud tops of Venus—just not as much as they initially thought. Signs of the gas phosphine in Venus’s atmosphere have faded—but they’re still there, according to a new data analysis. Phosphine gas, seen on Venus, is also produced by bacteria on Earth — but we don't know exactly how Phosphine is considered a marker of anaerobic life — … The only other explanation was bacteria floating in Venus's cloud deck. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Privacy Policy On Venus, it could suggest the presence of … Fly in the spectrum of light contain phosphine, a potential sign life... Claim, is further bolstered by the JCMT and ALMA telescopes have no phosphine gas venus plausible identification orders of magnitude than. 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