Venus as a New Home

 Posted by Emma Crouch

With global warming becoming an increasingly important issue, many scientists have looked to other planets as possible second homes for humans. One of these planets that show promise is Venus. An article published in Science News details the discovery of Phosphine gas in the atmosphere. Based on observation it seems this gas could have been produced by bacteria, suggesting extraterrestrial life. Examining the atmosphere, Greaves, Sousa-Silva and colleagues found that the planets clouds may contain up to 20 ppb of Phosphine.

To detect this gas, Greaves, Sousa-Silva and colleagues used a powerful telescope in which the absorption was measured and based on energy and environmental factors it was concluded to be Phosphine. This study proves to be extremely promising however does have a long way to go before humans are ready to pack up and move to Venus. Even though they were able to detect this gas in the atmosphere the researchers are still unsure of the source. Due to this missing conclusion much of this study is still up in the air. However, this is a small step in the right direction.