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Life on Venus? Scientists detect gas linked to life on Earth
A handout photo made available on September 14, 2020 by the European Southern Observatory shows an artistic impression depicting our Solar System neighbour Venus, where scientists have confirmed the detection of phosphine molecules, a representation of which is shown in the inset.
Photo credit: AFP PHOTO | European Southern Observatory | NASA / M. Kornmesser | L. Calcada
What you need to know:
- The head of NASA hailed the discovery as "the most significant development yet" in the hunt for extraterrestrial life.
Scientists have detected a gas called "phosphine" in the toxic atmosphere of Venus, which on Earth could originate from presence of life.
In an article published Monday in Nature Astronomy, a group of scientists said they used telescopes in the US state of Hawaii and Chile's Atacama Desert to observe Venus' upper cloud deck, around 60 km from the surface, and traced the apparent presence of phosphine gas.
