The Royal Astronomical Society made a very large and important statement on the morning of September 14, 2020, and announced that they discovered phosphine in the Venusian atmosphere. This is important, because at the level discovered, phosphine (20 molecules per billion) seems to only form if there is “life” as we know it in the environment. Researchers say that non-living sources cannot produce phosphine at this level, or if such a route exists, it is not yet known. This is a very important step towards the hope of finding life outside of Earth.
Chemicals associated with biological elements such as phosphine are called biosignas, and they point to potential life in the environment. This discovery was made with the Atacama (ALMA) telescope array in Chile and the James Clerk Maxwell telescope in Hawaii. Researchers include experts from the University of Manchester, MIT, and Cardiff University. The article was published on September 14 in the journal Nature Astronomy.
Said “sign of life” should not be considered as a complex multi-cellular and systemized structure like human beings. The sign of life in question here is mostly valid for single-celled and simple creatures. An example of phosphine-producing creatures in the world is microbes that live without oxygen. Scientists are excited by the possibility of a sign of extraterrestrial life for the first time, even a microscopic life. However, it should not be forgotten that this phosphine may have been formed as a result of any chemical reaction chain that we do not know yet.
Phosphine (PH3) is a colorless gas that smells like fish or garlic. It boils at -87.7 degrees, freezes at -133 degrees. Inhalation can be fatal, even at very low concentrations. Most of the phosphine is formed by the breakdown of phosphate during the decomposition of organic compounds in the body of living things in an oxygen-free environment. The rest are produced under laboratory conditions. Organisms absorb phosphate minerals, add hydrogen and extract phosphine to produce phosphine. The absence of any oxygen in the Venusian atmosphere makes this gas more likely to come from such microbes.
What makes this discovery important is that the researchers discovered that the amount of phosphine in Venus’ atmosphere is too large to come from abionic sources. If this is the case and there is no error in the measurements, there are two reasonable explanations left:
1) There is an abionic phosphine reaction that we do not know yet, and it is happening on Venus.
2) Or there is life on Venus!
Both of these possibilities are a happy new discovery, a new step for science and humanity.
Resources and Further Reading:
K. Cowing. Phosphine Detected In The Atmosphere Of Venus – An Indicator Of Possible Life ?. (13 September 2020). Date Taken: September 13, 2020. Taken: NASA Watch | Archive Link
J. Roels, et al. (2001). Biological Formation Of Volatile Phosphorus Compounds. Bioresource Technology, pp: 243-250. doi: 10.1016 / S0960-8524 (01) 00032-3. | Archive Link
PubChem. Phosphine. Date Taken: 13 September 2020. Taken from: PubChem | Archive Link
P. S. Anderson. Has Microbial Life Been Found On Venus? | Earthsky.org. (September 12, 2020). Date Taken: September 13, 2020. Taken from: EarthSky | Archive Link
H. Morowitz, et al. (1967). Life In The Clouds Of Venus ?. Nature, pp: 1259-1260. doi: 10.1038 / 2151259a0. | Archive Link
K. Cooper. Could Dark Streaks In Venus’ Clouds Be Microbial Life ?. (05 January 2017). Retrieved: September 13, 2020. Taken: Astrobiology Magazine | Archive Link
K. S. Petersen. How Floating Microbes Could Live In The Acid Clouds Of Venus. (13 August 2020). Date Taken: 13 September 2020. Taken from: Astronomy.com | Archive Link
S. Seager, et al. (2020). The Venusian Lower Atmosphere Haze As A Depot For Desiccated Microbial Life: A Proposed Life Cycle For Persistence Of The Venusian Aerial Biosphere. Astrobiology. doi: 10.1089 / ast.2020.2244. | Archive Link
J. S. Greaves, et al. (2020). Phosphine Gas In The Cloud Decks Of Venus. Nature Astronomy, pp: 1-10. doi: 10.1038 / s41550-020-1174-4. | Archive Link
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