Descoberta de possível vida microbiana em vênus (praticamente confirmado)

[Oniblack]

Como não tem tópico sobre isso? Depois trago mais infos, estou sem tempo agora

 

[Shikamaru Nara]

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[Soldado!]

Como não tem tópico sobre isso? Depois trago mais infos, estou sem tempo agora

Bom tópico. Parabéns!

 

[Setzer1]

vou ajudar o @Oniblack
pq a noticia realmente é promissora o suficiente pra mudar o foco de futuras pesquisas e observações no médio prazo.

Vida microbiana em Vênus? Aqui está o que você realmente precisa saber sobre a grande descoberta

MICHELLE STARR
14 de setembro de 2020
Vênus, a Estrela Vespertina, pode brilhar lindamente em nosso céu noturno, mas de perto é tão inóspito quanto um planeta rochoso pode ser, com chuvas de ácido sulfúrico, uma atmosfera sufocante de CO2 e uma pressão atmosférica superficial até 100 vezes maior que a da Terra .

Com base em nossa compreensão da vida na Terra, Vênus estaria entre os últimos lugares no Sistema Solar onde você procuraria encontrar criaturas vivas. Mas uma equipe internacional de cientistas acaba de fazer uma detecção que pode - apenas pode - ser uma bioassinatura.
Por outro lado, pode ser o sinal de um processo químico abiótico que ainda não conhecemos. Ou pode haver algum processo geológico mal compreendido ocorrendo em Vênus. De qualquer forma, essa descoberta é o prenúncio de uma experiência incrível de aprendizado.
No alto dessas nuvens densas, onde as condições são mais temperadas e menos esmagadoras (se não menos tóxicas) do que a superfície, os pesquisadores detectaram traços de gás fosfina, um composto produzido aqui na Terra por processos bióticos e abióticos.
De acordo com os pesquisadores, é improvável que os processos abióticos conhecidos tenham produzido a abundância de fosfina - cerca de 20 partes por bilhão (ppb) - encontrada nas nuvens venusianas.
A equipe detectou a assinatura espectral única de fosfina usando dois instrumentos diferentes em momentos diferentes - o telescópio James Clerk Maxwell em 2017 e o Atacama Large Millimeter / submillimeter Array em 2019.

"Fiquei pasmo, francamente", disse a autora principal do estudo e astrobióloga Jane Greaves, da Universidade de Cardiff, ao ScienceAlert.
"[Essa abundância] sugere que os organismos - se funcionarem como funcionam na Terra - poderiam ser uma fonte suficiente. Eles poderiam ter apenas 10 por cento da eficiência máxima na produção de fosfina que vemos nos organismos terrestres, e produziriam a abundância vemos em Vênus. "
O que tornou a detecção ainda mais intrigante são aquelas nuvens venusianas ácidas, que provavelmente destruiriam a fosfina muito rapidamente. Duas detecções com quase dois anos de diferença sugerem que tudo o que está produzindo o composto está em andamento.
A próxima etapa da pesquisa foi estudar exaustivamente todos os outros processos conhecidos que podem produzir fosfina.
Em Saturno e Júpiter , a fosfina - formada de um fósforo e três átomos de hidrogênio - foi detectada em quantidades bastante significativas; ele se forma no interior quente e de alta pressão dos gigantes gasosos e é expelido para a superfície por convecção.
Mas, apesar de todo o calor e pressão da superfície, Vênus não é capaz de corresponder às condições de formação de fosfina encontradas nos gigantes gasosos locais.

Outros processos, como relâmpagos atingindo um local com fósforo ou micrometeoritos com fósforo, poderiam produzir fosfina atmosférica, mas a equipe descartou esses mecanismos também - eles simplesmente não são prevalentes o suficiente em Vênus para produzir 20 ppb de fosfina.
Na Terra, a fosfina foi encontrada em abundância em ecossistemas anaeróbicos (com baixo teor de oxigênio). É encontrado em pântanos e lama, onde os micróbios anaeróbicos se desenvolvem. É encontrado nos intestinos e, bem, peidos. De alguma forma, os microrganismos anaeróbios produzem fosfina . E as nuvens de Vênus são anaeróbicas.
No mês passado, uma equipe de cientistas - alguns dos quais fizeram parte desta nova descoberta - explorou e achou plausível a possibilidade de uma comunidade de micróbios flutuantes permanentes vivendo nas nuvens de Vênus, exatamente na zona temperada em que Greaves e sua equipe encontraram fosfina. Portanto, a descoberta é certamente uma perspectiva tentadora.
Mas a presença de vida está longe de ser a única explicação possível. Um processo de produção de fosfina aqui na Terra é a atividade vulcânica. E embora a equipe tenha descartado isso, descobrindo que a atividade vulcânica é insuficiente e citando um artigo de 2015 , a pesquisa do início deste ano sugere que Vênus pode ser mais vulcanicamente ativo do que se pensava anteriormente .

"Na Terra, temos gás fosfina que vem de fontes vulcânicas", disse a cientista planetária Helen Maynard-Casely, da Organização de Ciência e Tecnologia Nuclear da Austrália, à ScienceAlert. Maynard-Casely não estava envolvido na pesquisa.
"Isso está descartado neste artigo, porque eles julgam que a quantidade de fosfina que observam não poderia ser sustentada apenas pelos vulcões. Acho isso um pouco surpreendente, pois há evidências abundantes de atividade vulcânica em Vênus, muito mais do que na Terra, além disso, temos muito menos ideia do que a superfície de Vênus é feita. "
A equipe de Greaves também tem o cuidado de apontar que pode haver um processo químico desconhecido conduzindo a síntese de fosfina em Vênus. Dados os desafios de estudar o planeta de perto - Vênus fritou mais de uma sonda , e nenhuma sobreviveu mais do que algumas horas - não entendemos bem sua superfície, portanto, química ou geologia desconhecida é uma forte possibilidade.
"Isso poderia sugerir toda uma rede de reação que não havíamos descoberto antes, ou abundância de, por exemplo, minerais contendo fósforo que são muito diferentes da Terra", disse Greaves ao ScienceAlert.
O que quer que esteja produzindo a assinatura da fosfina na atmosfera de Vênus, encontrar a resposta nos ensinará algo novo - seja algo sobre química, fósforo e os processos que criam a fosfina ... ou seja algo sobre a tenacidade da própria vida.
"Grande parte da pesquisa por biologia ocorrendo em outros lugares além de nossa própria Terra está centrada em encontrar um lugar onde a biologia como a conhecemos na Terra possa sobreviver. Esta é a razão pela qual as luas de Júpiter Europa e Ganimedes são vistas como locais potenciais para hospedar atividade biológica , porque se pensa que ambos têm oceanos sob suas superfícies de gelo que seriam ricos em minerais e protegidos do clima viscoso do espaço, não muito diferente de nossos próprios oceanos ", disse Maynard-Casely.
"Se encontrarmos evidências de biologia ocorrendo em um lugar onde nada na Terra poderia sobreviver, então isso realmente abrirá as portas para que uma grande quantidade de atividade biológica possa estar acontecendo, talvez em todo o Sistema Solar."
Os próximos passos para resolver esse mistério podem ser mais fáceis de dizer do que fazer, entretanto. Podemos fazer mais observações usando telescópios poderosos. Mas podemos precisar de observações mais próximas, seja de uma sonda orbital, da qual atualmente apenas uma, a Akatsuki da JAXA , está operacional, ou - muito mais desafiador - uma sonda.
Existem várias missões propostas para Vênus no pipeline, mas geralmente é um longo tempo entre a proposta e a execução.
Nesse ínterim, a modelagem e a experimentação podem começar a estreitar as possibilidades.
"É muito difícil provar uma negativa. Agora, os astrônomos vão pensar em todas as maneiras de justificar a fosfina sem vida, e eu saúdo isso", disse a astrofísica molecular Clara Sousa-Silva, do MIT.
"Por favor, faça, porque estamos no fim de nossas possibilidades de mostrar processos abióticos que podem produzir fosfina."
A pesquisa foi publicada na Nature Astronomy .

 

[Roveredo]

 

[KlTKAT395]

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[Inland Taipan]

Que tópeco, que tópeco.

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[Hellskah]

Até essa sonda ir, colher amostras e voltar .....

 

[Setzer1]

Até essa sonda ir, colher amostras e voltar .....

complicado ocorrer.
A sonda teria que descer boa parte da atmosfera de vénus e ter combustível pra escapar da gravidade do planeta que é quase igual a da terra.

8,87 m/s² venus
9,807 m/s² terra

Pra isso seria preciso ser um foguete e não uma sonda. E com combustível quase cheio.
O que exige reabastecimento no espaço.

 

[Krion]

Como não tem tópico sobre isso? Depois trago mais infos, estou sem tempo agora

Da uma olhada nos posts do tópico de astronomia, tenho postado muitas info lá sobre isso desde ontem

No aguardo, pois sendo confirmado, será uma revelação incrível.

Mais alguns (MUITOS) detalhes dessa possível incrível descoberta, que pode mudar muitas coisas

Was life discovered in the clouds of Venus in 2020?

Brian Roemmele
·
September 13, 2020
Founder + Editor at Read Multiplex (2017–present)
“Was life discovered in the clouds of Venus in 2020?”

Yes, indeed as of September 13th, 2020 there was compelling and rather robust evidence suggested by Scientists at Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Cardiff University and elsewhere, have observed what may be signs of life in the clouds of Venus, to be announced on September 14th, 2020.

The paper will be published on September 14th, 2020 in the peer-reviewed journal Nature. The scientists will also hold a press conference via Zoom to present their findings.

The findings were produced using the James Clark Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii and the Atcama Large Millimeter Array in Chile.

Researcher Janusz Petkowski stated:


We will explore this new research and other supporting research here.

Specimen of an enhanced image of Venus.

I have been studying astrobiology since the 1970s and find this astonishing work to be the latest robust findings on the possibility of life in the atmosphere of Venus. This is perhaps one of humanity’s most important discoveries.



Specimen of my overly cautious Tweet.

Spectacular Research By Spectacular Scientists

Research scientists Sara Seager, Janusz J. Petkowski, Peter Gao, William Bains, Noelle C. Bryan, Sukrit Ranjan, Jane Greaves and others submitted a paper to the peer-reviewed academic journal Astrology [1] and it forms the original basis of the world changing announcement. I will present some findings from this earlier research for a few reasons.

I urge you to support these spectacular scientists and the Royal Astronomical Society by viewing the presentation directly:



Specimen of the Tweet for the September 14th, 2020 event.

The August 13th, 2020 paper:




Thus we have a academic research paper that suggests that dark patches in the atmosphere of Venus could be caused by light-absorbing bacteria. The planet's atmosphere is 96.5 percent carbon dioxide and approximately 3.5 percent nitrogen. The runaway greenhouse climate keeps surface temperatures hovering around 864 degrees Fahrenheit with the atmospheric pressures on Venus as high as pressures about kilometer deep in the oceans of Earth.

Mariner 2 became the first successful interplanetary mission in December 1962 when it collected data within 35,000 km of Venus. Other space probes studying the clouds of Venus have detected objects called "mode 3 particles”. These are particles in size that is comparable to bacteria. It is also clear their shape is non-spherical, suggesting that they are not simply droplets of liquid.

Life on Earth generally use of the carbonyl group, which consists of a carbon atom and an oxygen atom linked with a double bond: C=O. A carbonyl group behaves in such a manner in liquid water that it can be used to link organic molecules together. In concentrated sulfuric found in the atmosphere of Venus, another simple group of atoms behaves in a similar way called the alkene group of: C=C. Alkene group molecules would fit into the chemical profiles of the atmosphere of Venus and likely thrive.

Specimen of extremophiles.

Micro-organisms known as methanogens find oxygen essentially toxic. They actually prefer to use carbon dioxide – or other carbon-rich compounds, like carbon monoxide – and hydrogen gas to produce water and methane. This process also provides them with energy, and unlike photosynthesizing plants or algae, sunlight isn’t required. We tend to find methanogens inside deep-sea hydrothermal vents, within the Earth’s crust, and within the planet’s mantle. They don’t need to live in what we consider to be “normal” environments—they appear in so-called extreme environments. These are classified as extremophiles and they are found deep inside of volcanoes on Earth and perhaps even floating in our high atmosphere.

The new paper to be published In Nature on September 14th, 2020 will present a compelling case of a biosignature [2] in the Venusian atmosphere of Phosphine [3]. We will be hearing a great deal written about and talked about with regards to Phosphine. Many insights will likely fall into the camp of “this proves nothing”. Yet it is a very clear path to life and the authors suggest how in their papers.

Specimen of a proposed Phosphine molecule.

The Research On Venus Life

Phosphine is a gas that is produced most often via biological process of life. It has been known to be produced via non-biological methods. The conditions on Venus and the fcat that there are relatively high concentrations that would normally dissipate, the deviance supports the sources are continuous and highly probable to be from a biological process, e.g. life on Venus. Thus the researchers have concluded this is not an abiotic (non-biliogical) source of Phosphine but a biological source.

Of course science it about presenting empirical findings and forming a hypnosis, there very well could be an abiotic source but that alone would be an amazing discovery. However we must deploy Occam’s Razor and suggest the simplest explanation and the evidence suggests the simple explanation is biological sources, life.

The research team took over 6 months processing their new findings and were very reluctant to make a definitive paper as it would clearly establish a maverick position of life discovered outside of Earth. However they were convinced by robust supporting evidence and a cross section of peers.

With the Earth in the perfect position in the spring of 2020 they were able to capture a spectrograph of the correct wavelength backlit by the sun of the warmer clouds in the atmosphere of Venus.

The volume of Phosphine observed was stunning. They ruled out minerals blown into the atmosphere, volcanism, lightning and other known sources as there is simply no process that could maintain this abundance. So much Phosphine was observed we could conclude that the atmosphere of Venus is “teaming with life”.

Typically biological sources of Phosphine on Earth is produced by species of bacteria that do not absorb oxygen [4]. They absorb phosphate and hydrogen and expel Phosphine gas.

The “life zone” in the atmosphere of Venus is between 48 and 60 kilometers above the average planetary elevation. This region has an observed temperature of 20 degrees to 212 degrees Fahrenheit. This is also precisely where the concentrations of Phosphine clouds have been observed. They are also associated with the dark matter mentioned in the August 2020 research paper. We can surmise that Ultraviolet light is begin “consumed” or otherwise absorbed by this proposed biological material.

One theory suggested by the authors of the papers is a gravity wave process that is a phenomena that can lift microbes in to the “life zone” of the atmosphere of Venus. The waves propagate over mountains and valleys and cause a vertical lift of very high force. This creates a sort of “circle of life” that allows for these proposed species to live in just the “life zone” of the planet.

Specimen of a novel process that could explain how “life” stays in the upper regions of Venus..

We should also not rule out far more complex life from the observations of Phosphine. It is quite possible we will observe life as large as a Whale on Earth quite happy suspended in the gravity waves of Venus.

I will not speculate about “intelligent life” on Venus but it is import to know Venus was nearly “earth-like” over 2 billion years ago and suffered an “earth shattering” event that may have reversed the rotation and inclination of the planet [6]. Venus may have had a shallow liquid-water ocean and habitable surface temperatures for up to 2 billion years of its early history, according to computer modeling of the planet’s ancient climate by scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York.

This seems to have been a very large impact that literally changed the direction of the planet, although this meets with an abundance of skepticism.

We can be certain, that if there was life as we understand it on Venus when there was an impact of this magnitude, that likely caused the runaway green house effect and boiled off liquid water and oxygen, it likely ended at that moment.

Specimen image of rotations and inclinations of solar system planets.

With these discoveries we may have the last remnants of life from the planet. It is quite possible this adaptation was made sometime over the 2 billon years and has progressed to more complex life from this point.

Panspermia

It is also important to consider Panspermia [6]. This is an often discounted theory of how some life may have come about in the universe. Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe were influential proponents of panspermia.

Specimen artist rendering of comet transmitted life.

In 1974 they proposed the hypothesis that some dust in interstellar space was largely organic (containing carbon), which Wickramasinghe later proved to be correct.

Often lumped into a non-evolutionary or “religious” pseudo-science, there has been far more compelling evidence that we can detect the signs of bacterial life in comet tails and even interstellar dust.

Hoyle and Wickramasinghe further contended that life forms continue to enter the Earth's atmosphere, and may be responsible for epidemic outbreaks, new diseases, and the genetic novelty necessary for macroevolution.

Panspermia may also explain what we are observing in the atmosphere of Venus and perhaps other bodies in the solar system above the surface, on the surface, below the surface and in water or below ice.

Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence

in 1967 Carl Sagan and Harold Morowitz authored a landmark paper [7] suggesting:

“Life in the Clouds of Venus?”

Also published in nature on September 16th, 1967 this paper was considered, overly speculative and “maverick”. It was one of many situation where Carl Sagan risked his reputation to publish what he knew to be very compelling research.


So convinced that life would be discovered in the universe, Carl published a book that contributed to him losing his job at Harvard University. Called “Intelligent Life In The Universe” [8] he co-authored it with Iosif Shklovskii.

Specimen of my original copy of “Intelligent life in the universe”.

Carl was advised to not publish by faculty at Harvard University and offered advice that he would damage his career. He published it non-the-less and it is one of the best books to look into the possibility of life in the universe from that epoch.

After losing his job he went on to Cornell University and to become one of the most well known popularizers of science and astronomy.

We will hear repeated by self appointed “internet debunkers” that “Extraordinary claims, require extraordinary evidence” for the next few months as more and more observations and empirical evidence mounts. It will also be ironic as this is Carl Sagan’s life work that he sacrificed a Harvard University job early in his career to support.

Carl never spoke much publicly about how this impacted his life, but he learned a hard lesson he would share privately, people, especially scientists will do almost anything other then confirm life outside of Earth. He created the phrase “Extraordinary claims, require extraordinary evidence” not to “debunk” anything, but to create an environment that fosters more study. No claims from a higher authority, but more research to confirm empirical observations.

In the years since his exceptional work from 1963–1967 on atmospheric life on Venus, we have had a tremendous amount of empirical work, just as Carl had asserted. His was a lonely trail in that epoch but today, we have reached nearly a preponderance of evidence, until we send a scooper probe to Venus, that we have come to discover life on another world. We are living in this historic moment in time and I want to present that when we have sent a probe to Venus and double confirm life, we name it after Carl Sagan, a hero that stood by his convictions, no matter what came.

These are extraordinary times and this research is just one small part of a torrent of new data that will be presented in this epoch. We much always remain skeptical but I also suggest to stay aware and stay curious, for you may miss one of the most important moments in human history.

Perhaps, we are not alone.

Perhaps, we have never been alone.

Perhaps, the abundance we see when we view the cosmos is as much an abundance of new life, as it is an abundance of billions of stars and planets.

Perhaps, we will be the first to know this definitively.

[1] The Venusian Lower Atmosphere Haze as a Depot for Desiccated Microbial Life: A Proposed Life Cycle for Persistence of the Venusian Aerial Biosphere

[2] Biosignature - Wikipedia

[3] Phosphine - Wikipedia

[4] Anaerobic organism - Wikipedia

[5] Panspermia - Wikipedia

[5] Venus May Once Have Been Habitable

[7] Life in the Clouds of Venus?

[8] Intelligent Life In the Universe: I. S. Shklovskii, Carl Sagan, Paula Fern: 9780440540564: Amazon.com: Books

Um video explicativo

Matéria que acaba de ser publicada no SETI Institute


Life on Venus?

Sep 14, 2020

Tags: Solar System

By Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer
It could be atmospheric chemistry. Or pollution from unseen volcanoes. But there’s a chance – a not insignificant chance – that scientists have made the first clear discovery of life beyond Earth.

Researchers at Cardiff University and MIT, together with colleagues from both British and Asian universities, have just published a paper in the journal Nature in which they claim to have found a smelly, toxic gas – phosphine – high in the thick clouds of the Venusian atmosphere. On Earth, phosphine is produced by certain types of bacteria.

This discovery was unexpected, and a potential game changer. The presence of airborne phosphine might be likened to stumbling upon scat in the desert, a signal that life is in the neighborhood.

If indeed there are living organisms floating in the dense air of Venus, it would enormously strengthen the argument that life is not a rarity, a cosmic miracle, but is as common as freckles.

For decades, scientists have pursued life in space in three ways. One is to simply find it, the underlying motivation for sending many of the rovers that crawl across Mars. A second is to discover that another world houses intelligent beings by tuning in their radio transmissions. A third scheme – less well known – is to use telescopes to examine the atmospheres of planets and moons for biomarkers: gasses produced by life.

A prime example of a biomarker is the oxygen in our own air, the exhaust gas of the photosynthetic life that thrives here. A second is the methane that seems to occasionally waft through the thin air of Mars. Methane, as anyone unfortune enough to live near a garbage dump knows, is a breakdown product of some bacteria.

Lamentably, bacteria are not the only manufacturers of methane. It can also be produced by geological processes. Methane might mean life on Mars, but it might not.

What makes the discovery of phosphine in Venus’ air so compelling is that the researchers have racked their brains trying to come up with ways to explain its presence short of invoking biology. They’ve considered the likelihood of weird chemical processes in the atmosphere that could produce it, or the possibility that it was spewed out of volcanoes below. Even the reactions caused by meteors that streak through the clouds or the chemical effects of lightning were considered. But the scientists couldn’t find a plausible non-biological explanation.

Nonetheless, they remain cautious. History is littered with claims of extraterrestrial biology that later proved suspect or just plain wrong, from the canals on Mars to the squiggly, microscopic features seen in a martian meteorite. Everyone who’s claimed to have established the existence of life elsewhere has been seriously challenged. The strong consensus of science is that our world is the only place in the universe where life is known to exist. To prove otherwise is a tantalizing goal, but the proof needs to be indisputable.

So, caution reigns. Sara Seager, an MIT professor of physics and planetary science and a member of the research team, put it this way. “There could be two explanations. One that there is some unknown chemical process that could somehow produce the phosphine. The second is that … there’s life.”

But Venusian life? Yes, Venus has long been called Earth’s twin, primarily because the two planets are the same size. But it’s not the favored twin: spacecraft have revealed a baked landscape, with round-the-clock temperatures of 900 degrees Fahrenheit. For decades scientists assumed Venus was a sterile hell, and largely ignored it in favor of Mars or several of the water-rich moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

But not all scientists. Planetary astronomer David Grinspoon, of the Planetary Science Institute, has persistently championed the idea of paying greater attention to Venus. He’s pointed out that at an altitude of 30 miles above the surface, the cloud temperatures drop to roughly the same as a Fall day in New York. The idea that some microbes could be floating in these extraordinarily dense and temperate clouds is not beyond the pale. Such organisms could be the left-overs from simple life that may have been spawned during the billions of years that Venus had oceans, vast seas that eventually boiled away. They would be the microscopic refugees from a world that slowly went bad.

Grinspoon reacts to the phosphine discovery by saying that it “will force people to take seriously the plausibility of a cloud biosphere on Venus.”

If past is prologue, the excitement following the discovery of this malodorous gas will give way to an explanation that doesn’t depend on the presence of life. After all, nature is exceedingly adept at cooking up conditions and compounds that humans haven’t foreseen. If that happens, what is now an exciting discovery will become one that’s merely interesting.

But we can’t rule out the more dramatic outcome – the possibility that, at long last, we’ve proven that we have company in the cosmos. Yes, they’re microscopic and live an incomprehensively dull existence. But unlike everything else we’ve yet found in the heavens, they’re alive.

Mias um video sobre o assunto (desta vez do "Royal Observatory Greenwich")

Possible signs of life in Venus’ clouds

By Dr Emily Drabek-Maunder, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich and co-author of the recent discovery of phosphine in the clouds of Venus, ‘Phosphine Gas in the Cloud Decks of Venus’, in Nature Astronomy
Check out the video below for a behind the scenes chat between Dr Emily Drabek-Maunder and the Principal Investigator of the project, Professor Jane Greaves.
They talk about what the team originally set out to do, what the next steps are for understanding Venus and its possibility for life, and the curious link between phosphine and penguins.




The search for life on Venus

In the past, scientists thought that Venus was very like Earth because of its similar size and distance from the Sun.


This idea was shattered in the 1960s when the Mariner 2 spacecraft uncovered Venus’ hostile environment. Thick, yellowish clouds, made out of sulphuric acid, surround the planet and trap heat on its surface. This makes Venus the hottest planet in the Solar System, with temperature close to 500 degrees Celsius.


The pressures on the surface are around 90 times greater than those of the Earth and are high enough to crush the human body.


Even though the conditions on the surface of the planet are harsh, the temperatures are milder at higher altitudes, as well as the pressure being more similar to Earth’s.


Some scientists have hypothesised that microorganisms or other types of aerial life may exist in the upper atmosphere, high in Venus’ clouds.

Venus Colour © Michel Leost


What is Phosphine?

Phosphine is a gas made from phosphorus and hydrogen.


It can be found in gas-giant planets in our Solar System, like Jupiter and Saturn, produced by chemical reactions occurring deep inside these planets.


However, it is more difficult to form this gas in the atmospheres of rocky planets in our Solar System, as they experience lower temperatures and pressures than the gas-giants.


Phosphine gas is found on Earth, but it is mainly a product of life, coming either from human industrial activity or from microbes.


The discovery of phosphine gas in the clouds of Venus could, therefore, point to life in the upper atmosphere of the planet.

How was the phosphine gas found?

Phosphine was observed in Venus’ atmosphere by two independent telescopes, the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) in Hawaii and the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) in Chile.


Looking like large satellite dishes, both telescopes operate in longer wavelengths than the human eye can see.


The two telescopes observed phosphine in absorption. This means that a small amount of sunlight reflecting off Venus’ clouds was absorbed by phosphine gas in its atmosphere.

Daytime Venus © Thea Hutchinson


What does this mean?

The amount of phosphine gas in the atmosphere of Venus is relatively low - only twenty molecules in every billion are phosphine.


However, models in this study show that natural chemical processes, from things like sunlight, volcanoes or lightning on Venus, cannot explain the phosphine gas in Venus’ clouds.


The team expect that phosphine comes from either an unknown non-biological process on the planet or from life in the atmosphere.

Venus Phase Evolution © Roger Hutchinson


What next?

There are many unknowns at this point and more investigation must be done before the presence of life can be confirmed on Venus. For instance, studying the atmosphere directly with spacecraft.


Additionally, the clouds surrounding Venus are nearly entirely made up of sulphuric acid and create conditions too harsh for any known form of life on Earth.


Even so, this is an exciting time for astronomy, in particular for understanding our Solar System and the possibilities for life in other places.


If life has formed on Venus independently from Earth, then it is likely that life will be far more common than previously imagined.


With over 4000 detected exoplanets - planets found outside our Solar System - and, no doubt, many more that astronomers have yet to detect, the quest to find life elsewhere in the Universe has reached a compelling new stage.

Vídeo completo do "evento" da "Royal Astronomical Society"

Venus phosphine detection factsheet


Artist's impression of Venus, with an inset showing a representation of the phosphine molecules detected in the high cloud decks.
Credit
ESO / M. Kornmesser / L. Calçada & NASA / JPL / Caltech
Licence type
Attribution (CC BY 4.0)

On 14 September 2020, astronomers announced the detection of phosphine, a potential biomarker, in the atmosphere of Venus. Here are ten essential facts about the discovery:

What has been discovered?
A molecule called phosphine has been detected in the atmosphere of the planet Venus.

Why is it interesting?
The amount of phosphine that has been detected is relatively large. On Earth, phosphine can result from natural processes such as lightning and volcanic activity, but only in small amounts. The only known processes that produce phosphine on Earth in similar quantities are biological in origin.

Does that mean there is life on Venus?
No. What's exciting is that this is the first detection of a possible sign of life for which we have no plausible alternative explanation. That doesn't mean that there definitely is life, as we could be missing some other method of producing phosphine in the required amounts, but it's a very exciting possibility which needs more investigation.

How was it detected?
Observations of the light passing through the atmosphere of Venus were made using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) in Hawaii. Atoms and molecules absorb light at very specific and unique wavelengths, and the resulting 'absorption spectrum’ revealed a gap at the wavelength of phosphine. This implied that phosphine was present, and absorbing light as it passed through the atmosphere.

Are you sure it’s phosphine?
Yes – confirmation was obtained by making further observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile. This confirmed the initial detection, and no other known molecule can explain the observed features.

What else could have produced it?
Processes such as lightning or volcanic activity can produce small amounts of phosphine on Earth. The molecule can also be delivered by meteorites, or generated by exotic processes such as interaction with the solar wind. However these only produce very small amounts, far less than would be necessary to explain the observations.

Could it just be contamination from earlier probes to Venus?
A series of probes were sent to Venus during the 60s, 70s and 80s. Some of those launched probes into the atmosphere and even landed craft safely on the surface. The possibility of contamination is there, but it is highly unlikely they could produce the amount of phosphine we see in these observations. Very few organisms on Earth produce phosphine, and very few if any are capable of surviving in the extreme conditions in the Venusian cloud decks. This makes it highly unlikely that this is biological contamination from Earth.

What further research would be needed to confirm life or not?
The best way of doing this would be to directly detect life itself. Ultimately this would involve re-visiting Venus with probes, which would make measurements in the planet’s atmosphere, and potentially bring back samples to Earth for further analysis.

Might there be similar signs of life on Mars or Mercury?
Mercury has no atmosphere, and is simultaneously very hot (on the side facing the Sun) and very cold (on the side facing away). Life here is highly unlikely. Life on Mars is a possibility, at least historically, because it is now fairly clear that Mars went through a warm wet period. The search for signs of life on Mars is already under way.

Could there be life on Jupiter?
Jupiter is very different since it is a gas giant planet whose atmosphere is dominated by hydrogen, rather than carbon dioxide. This makes life in the atmosphere of Jupiter highly unlikely. However the moons of Jupiter, such as Europa and Ganymede, have liquid water oceans beneath ice caps kilometres thick, and so life there is more of a possibility.






Maiores detalhes que foram postados após a exibição do vídeo

Hints of life on Venus

Spoiler: detalhes aqui

An international team of astronomers, led by Professor Jane Greaves of Cardiff University, today announced the discovery of a rare molecule – phosphine – in the clouds of Venus. On Earth, this gas is only made industrially, or by microbes that thrive in oxygen-free environments.

Astronomers have speculated for decades that high clouds on Venus could offer a home for microbes – floating free of the scorching surface, but still needing to tolerate very high acidity. The detection of phosphine molecules, which consist of hydrogen and phosphorus, could point to this extra-terrestrial ‘aerial’ life. The new discovery is described in a paper in Nature Astronomy.

The team first used the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) in Hawaii to detect the phosphine, and were then awarded time to follow up their discovery with 45 telescopes of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile. Both facilities observed Venus at a wavelength of about 1 millimetre, much longer than the human eye can see – only telescopes at high altitude can detect this wavelength effectively.

Professor Greaves says, “This was an experiment made out of pure curiosity, really – taking advantage of JCMT’s powerful technology, and thinking about future instruments. I thought we’d just be able to rule out extreme scenarios, like the clouds being stuffed full of organisms. When we got the first hints of phosphine in Venus’ spectrum, it was a shock!”

Naturally cautious about the initial findings, Greaves and her team were delighted to get three hours of time with the more sensitive ALMA observatory. Bad weather added a frustrating delay, but after six months of data processing, the discovery was confirmed.

Team member Dr Anita Richards, of the UK ALMA Regional Centre and the University of Manchester, adds: “To our great relief, the conditions were good at ALMA for follow-up observations while Venus was at a suitable angle to Earth. Processing the data was tricky, though, as ALMA isn’t usually looking for very subtle effects in very bright objects like Venus.”

Greaves adds: “In the end, we found that both observatories had seen the same thing – faint absorption at the right wavelength to be phosphine gas, where the molecules are backlit by the warmer clouds below.”

Professor Hideo Sagawa of Kyoto Sangyo University then used his models for the Venusian atmosphere to interpret the data, finding that phosphine is present but scarce – only about twenty molecules in every billion.

The astronomers then ran calculations to see if the phosphine could come from natural processes on Venus. They caution that some information is lacking – in fact, the only other study of phosphorus on Venus came from one lander experiment, carried by the Soviet Vega 2 mission in 1985.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientist Dr William Bains led the work on assessing natural ways to make phosphine. Some ideas included sunlight, minerals blown upwards from the surface, volcanoes, or lightning, but none of these could make anywhere near enough of it. Natural sources were found to make at most one ten thousandth of the amount of phosphine that the telescopes saw.

To create the observed quantity of phosphine on Venus, terrestrial organisms would only need to work at about 10% of their maximum productivity, according to calculations by Dr Paul Rimmer of Cambridge University. Any microbes on Venus will likely be very different to their Earth cousins though, to survive in hyper-acidic conditions.

Earth bacteria can absorb phosphate minerals, add hydrogen, and ultimately expel phosphine gas. It costs them energy to do this, so why they do it is not clear. The phosphine could be just a waste product, but other scientists have suggested purposes like warding off rival bacteria.

Another MIT team-member, Dr Clara Sousa Silva, was also thinking about searching for phosphine as a ‘biosignature’ gas of non-oxygen-using life on planets around other stars, because normal chemistry makes so little of it.

She comments: “Finding phosphine on Venus was an unexpected bonus! The discovery raises many questions, such as how any organisms could survive. On Earth, some microbes can cope with up to about 5% of acid in their environment – but the clouds of Venus are almost entirely made of acid.”

Other possible biosignatures in the Solar System may exist, like methane on Mars and water venting from the icy moons Europa and Enceladus. On Venus, it has been suggested that dark streaks where ultraviolet light is absorbed could come from colonies of microbes. The Akatsuki spacecraft, launched by the Japanese space agency JAXA, is currently mapping these dark streaks to understand more about this “unknown ultraviolet absorber”.

The team believes their discovery is significant because they can rule out many alternative ways to make phosphine, but they acknowledge that confirming the presence of “life” needs a lot more work. Although the high clouds of Venus have temperatures up to a pleasant 30 degrees centigrade, they are incredibly acidic – around 90% sulphuric acid – posing major issues for microbes to survive there.

Professor Sara Seager and Dr Janusz Petkowski, also both at MIT, are investigating how microbes could shield themselves inside droplets.
The team are now eagerly awaiting more telescope time, for example to establish whether the phosphine is in a relatively temperate part of the clouds, and to look for other gases associated with life. New space missions could also travel to our neighbouring planet, and sample the clouds in situ to further search for signs of life.

Professor Emma Bunce, President of the Royal Astronomical Society, congratulated the team on their work:
“A key question in science is whether life exists beyond Earth, and the discovery by Professor Jane Greaves and her team is a key step forward in that quest. I’m particularly delighted to see UK scientists leading such an important breakthrough – something that makes a strong case for a return space mission to Venus.”
Science Minister Amanda Solloway said:
"Venus has for decades captured the imagination of scientists and astronomers across the world.”
“This discovery is immensely exciting, helping us increase our understanding of the universe and even whether there could be life on Venus. I am incredibly proud that this fascinating detection was led by some of the UK’s leading scientists and engineers using state of the art facilities built on our own soil.”


Media resources

Phosphine detection FAQ sheet

Synthesized false colour image of Venus, using 283-nm and 365-nm band images taken by the Venus Ultraviolet Imager (UVI).
JAXA / ISAS / Akatsuki Project Team
Licence type
Attribution (CC BY 4.0)

The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), situated close to the summit of Maunakea, Hawaii, is the largest telescope in the world specifically designed to observe at submillimetre wavelengths. The telescope is used to study objects ranging from our Solar System and distant galaxies, to interstellar and circumstellar dust and gas.
Will Montgomerie / EAO / JCMT
Licence type
Attribution (CC BY 4.0)

Image of Venus, observed in the 365nm waveband by the Venus Ultraviolet Imager (UVI) on board the Akatsuki probe. The observations were made on 6 May 2016, when the spacecraft saw the whole planet illuminated.
J. Greaves / Cardiff University
Licence type
Attribution (CC BY 4.0)



This animation shows an artist's impression of our Solar System neighbour Venus, where scientists have confirmed the detection of phosphine molecules (represented in the inset towards the end of the video). The molecules were detected in the Venusian high clouds in data from the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. Astronomers have speculated for decades that life could exist in Venus’s high clouds, and the detection of phosphine could point to such extra-terrestrial “aerial” life.
Credit: ESO / M. Kornmesser / L. Calçada & NASA / JPL / Caltech

Further information
The new work appears in “Phosphine Gas in the Cloud Decks of Venus”, Jane S. Greaves, Anita M. S. Richards, William Bains, Paul Rimmer, Hideo Sagawa, David L. Clements, Sara Seager, Janusz J. Petkowski, Clara Sousa-Silva, Sukrit Ranjan, Emily Drabek-Maunder, Helen J. Fraser, Annabel Cartwright, Ingo Mueller-Wodarg, Zhuchang Zhan, Per Friberg, Iain Coulson, E’lisa Lee and Jim Hoge, Nature Astronomy (2020).
A copy of the paper is available from: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-020-1174-4

Notes for editors
The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), founded in 1820, encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. The RAS organises scientific meetings, publishes international research and review journals, recognises outstanding achievements by the award of medals and prizes, maintains an extensive library, supports education through grants and outreach activities and represents UK astronomy nationally and internationally. Its more than 4,400 members (Fellows), a third based overseas, include scientific researchers in universities, observatories and laboratories as well as historians of astronomy and others.
The RAS accepts papers for its journals based on the principle of peer review, in which fellow experts on the editorial boards accept the paper as worth considering. The Society issues press releases based on a similar principle, but the organisations and scientists concerned have overall responsibility for their content.
In 2020 the RAS is 200 years old. The Society is celebrating its bicentennial anniversary with a series of events around the UK, including public lectures, exhibitions, an organ recital, a pop-up planetarium, and the culmination of the RAS 200: Sky & Earth project.
Follow the RAS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
Subscribe to the RAS Supermassive Podcast

With a diameter of 15m (50 feet) the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) is the largest single dish astronomical telescope in the world designed specifically to operate in the submillimetre wavelength region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The JCMT is used to study our Solar System, interstellar and circumstellar dust and gas, evolved stars, and distant galaxies. It is situated in the science reserve of Maunakea, Hawai`i, at an altitude of 4092m (13,425 feet). The JCMT is operated by the East Asian Observatory on behalf of NAOJ; ASIAA; KASI; CAMS as well as the National Key R&D Program of China. Additional funding support is provided by the Science and Technology Facilities Council and participating universities in the UK and Canada.

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international astronomy facility, is a partnership of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) of Japan in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. ALMA is funded by ESO on behalf of its Member States, by NSF in cooperation with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the National Science Council of Taiwan (NSC) and by NINS in cooperation with the Academia Sinica (AS) in Taiwan and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI). ALMA construction and operations are led by ESO on behalf of its Member States; by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), managed by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), on behalf of North America; and by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) on behalf of East Asia. The Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) provides the unified leadership and management of the construction, commissioning and operation of ALMA.

 

[Wrex]

Como não tem tópico sobre isso? Depois trago mais infos, estou sem tempo agora

Pq até o pentágono já assumiu uns ovinis... então micróbio é o de menos...

 

[CatlosGBBH]

Maior cagada do mundo pensar nisso de ir lá colher amostras. Vai saber o tipo de doença que saporra odor desencadear aqui. Que pesquise na estação especial internacional então, mas trazer clica de fora pra terra e cagada

Enviado de meu Redmi Note 8 Pro usando o Tapatalk

 

[BigJ]

Busquem conhecimento.

 

[Setzer1]

me corrigindo. Uma maneira de analisar os dados seria com um balão como ja foi feito pelos russos.

balão vega (1985) pra quem quer +detalhes da missão que fez isso.

O balão revestido com teflon foi capaz de resistir por alguns dias a atmosfera acida.
Daria pra instalar um microscópio e outros instrumentos e fazer as analises.

 

[trevz]

Maior cagada do mundo pensar nisso de ir lá colher amostras. Vai saber o tipo de doença que saporra odor desencadear aqui. Que pesquise na estação especial internacional então, mas trazer clica de fora pra terra e cagada

Enviado de meu Redmi Note 8 Pro usando o Tapatalk

 

[Trent Reznor]

Maior cagada do mundo pensar nisso de ir lá colher amostras. Vai saber o tipo de doença que saporra odor desencadear aqui. Que pesquise na estação especial internacional então, mas trazer clica de fora pra terra e cagada

Enviado de meu Redmi Note 8 Pro usando o Tapatalk

DEADSPACE magina q loco

 

[Delphinus]

Essa pequena manobra nos custará alguns posts

 

[Scorpion]

JA chegamos lá.

 

[Krion]

 

[tortinhas10]

Aqui em casa foi descoberta a vida micropeniana, no caso entraram no meu quarto depois de anos e me viram pelado

Enviado de meu moto g(8) usando o Tapatalk

 

[Tassadar_]

Busquem conhecimento.

*Busquem cal e cimento

 

[tonyr2d2]

Esse filme é RUIM DEMAIS! Alien universitário. E o Ryan morre cedo...

Tava vendo sobre isso no Space Today, mas o Sacani encheu o saco. a cada 30 SEGUNDOS ele repetia "não foi confirmado vida ainda, não foi confirmado vida ainda". Numa Live de 60 minutos...

 

[Rodrigo Zé do Cx Jr]

Como não tem tópico sobre isso?

Tópico oficial - AstrônomOS / FisicuzinhOS | 1a foto de um buraco negro p.35 | Mãe, no céu tem VY Canis Majoris? E morreu p.62 | Fotos TESUDAS James Webb p.63, 64...

Esse final de semana olhei um pouco para o céu a noite. Uma duvida..... todas as estrelas que temos visão a olho nú, todas estão dentro da nossa galaxia? Sim. Não só estão dentro da nossa galáxia como é uma porção muito pequena dela. Acho que a estrela mais distante que podemos ver a olho nu é...

forum.outerspace.com.br

Reportado.

 

[dk120]

Se tem vida até lá, então tem em muitos lugares.

 

[¬¬*]

Se é verdade que as mulheres são de Vênus, espero então que seja uma alien bem gostosona. Com 4 tetas.

 

[SaintNerd]

Conseguiram destruir o tópico com um assunto tão bacana. Parabéns

 

[quemsoueu]

Como não tem tópico sobre isso? Depois trago mais infos, estou sem tempo agora

Tem topico de astronomia isso ta sendo discutido la

 

[quemsoueu]

Essa pequena manobra nos custará alguns posts

Eu entendi mas o pessoal eh lerdo hue

 

[Mochilador]

Se preparem:

 

[Protogen]

Daqui a dois bilhões de anos aparece a vida inteligente

 

[Rafa - Él]

 

[JotaceKM]

Se preparem:

 

[The Kong]

complicado ocorrer.
A sonda teria que descer boa parte da atmosfera de vénus e ter combustível pra escapar da gravidade do planeta que é quase igual a da terra.

8,87 m/s² venus
9,807 m/s² terra

Pra isso seria preciso ser um foguete e não uma sonda. E com combustível quase cheio.
O que exige reabastecimento no espaço.

Além da gravidade ser praticamente a mesma, o ar é 100 vezes mais denso...

 

[The Kong]

Maior cagada do mundo pensar nisso de ir lá colher amostras. Vai saber o tipo de doença que saporra odor desencadear aqui. Que pesquise na estação especial internacional então, mas trazer clica de fora pra terra e cagada

Enviado de meu Redmi Note 8 Pro usando o Tapatalk

Quase nula a chance de uma forma de vida que teve origem diferente da vida aqui no nosso planeta possa ter algum efeito real sobre nós, no sentido biológico mesmo... no máximo uma alergia aos compostos químicos pelos quais essa suposta vida seria feita...

 

[Setzer1]

Além da gravidade ser praticamente a mesma, o ar é 100 vezes mais denso...

A densidade do ar aumenta com a proximidade da superfície. Isso é pq os gases tem pesos diferentes e os mais pesados se acumulam "no fundo"

A 50+km de altura ela ainda é tranquila. Ta na parte de vénus que é parecida com a terra e onde as temperaturas são "amenas."

Altura (km)	Temp. (°C)	Pressão (atm)
0	462	92.10
5	424	66.65
10	385	47.39
15	348	33.04
20	306	22.52
25	264	14.93
30	222	9.851
35	180	5.917
40	143	3.501
45	110	1.979
50	75	1.066
55	27	0.5314
60	−10	0.2357
65	−30	0.09765
70	−43	0.03690
80	−76	0.004760
90	−104	0.0003736
100	−112	0.00002660

Agora se enviarem uma sonda e descobrirem coisas e +confirmações não duvido tentarem arriscar algo +ousado e caro. Com ajuda internacional pq todos iriam querer uma amostra.

Por enquanto é apenas uma anomalia que merece ser estudada e que por enquanto não pode ser explicada.
Não é aliens até tudo ser descartado :p.


Particurlamente to torcendo pra ser.
Pq não só responderia o "Não estamos sós". Como seria meio que prova que a vida é de fato bem comum no universo. Pq se ela se sustenta em vénus seria easy se sustentar em planetas bem +amenos.

Ae passaria apenas ser questão de achar vida desenvolvida. Que tb acredito piamente existir, apenas difícil sua detecção por diversos motivos como distancia, idade do universo, nossa tecnologia limitada, poucos recursos gastos nisso, etc.