This link has now been removed, but there are screenshots on Reddit etc.

https://earthsky.org/space/life-on-venus-astrobiology-phosphine-biosignatures-solar-system
Or
https://earthsky.org/space/life-on-venus-astrobiology-phosphine-biosignature

Apparently it is being announced tomorrow by Royal Astronomical Society and a press conference at 1600 hours UK time.

Too soon to tell if a hoax or something but I guess we will know tomorrow, apparently it is being peer reviewed.

Anyway, posted for those that interested in this stuff.

Those links are now down as well, and most of the reddit threads have been closed


According to this link: https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/iruylk/has_microbial_life_been_found_on_venus/

Eh, it reminds me a bit of the "NASA finds new life" hype ~15 years ago, which was the finding of bacteria that not only existed, but also thrived in sulfur-rich environments. Incredibly fascinating stuff, but disappointing considering the media-hype.

Thanks for posting this though

Phosphine gas can be produced naturally by microbes in oxygen starved environments, but is also found on very extreme gaseous planets, like Jupiter and Saturn. It can also be produced any number of ways under extreme conditions.

The announcement is they detected phosphine in Venus' atmosphere. Being that it is a rocky planet, scientists will have to figure out why.

The idea that phosphine can be a telltale biosignature gas, is based on a peer reviewed study with 10 years of research behind it. "Phosphine as a Biosignature Gas in Exoplanet Atmospheres":

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31755740/

The same individuals responsible for this paper, are also the ones behind this latest discovery...

By their own words, either #1 microbes produced the phosphine, or #2 their understanding of Venus is severely lacking.

Oh and don't forget option #3, Heisenberg produced phosphine gas when making meth.


I'll go with option #2.

https://youtu.be/dCXF8FUux74. (wow, this video from MIT was set to private a few minutes after I posted it.)

Look, until we have an alien microorganism in our hands and under a proper microscope, we can infer anything we wish from spectroscopy, but said data means nothing more than elements and compounds without proper context. The bar must be set exceptionally high for declaring "alien life has been found," for the implications of such a discovery are so profound, anything less is an injustice to science and mankind.

Totally agree. Interesting news though if true.

There are 16,000 other molecular candidates that would suggest life. Phosphine is the first discovered of those 16,000. I suspect if you start detecting several 100 more, then the argument for life is better.

The James Webb telescope will be better equipped for those discoveries.

Here's the MIT video that was put to private shortly after I linked it;

https://twitter.com/PUNAMDG/status/1305125617340305408?s=20

Molecular candidates aren't life.

They have observed amnio acids in distant nebulae, but that doesn't indicate life, now does it? Bold statements require bold proof. In order to claim life has been discovered, then we darned well better have the life in the palm of our hands for everyone to see.

Curiosity killed the cat. Curiosity will kill the human race. We don't know what these microbes or organism on other planets or on passing asteroids, meteors can do to us.

We can't even control and contain a Coronavirus. What makes scientists think we can control and contain a hostile microbe or organism that is not of this Earth.

If human beings weren't curious we would still be living in mud huts!

fify

All of these frequently released stories/reports about the possibility of intelligent life on another planet or system are a dime a dozen. All of them are full of conjecture and speculation. These reports are released with the express purpose of attracting mouse clicks.

Little farting green men probably

I dunno. This one is intriguing, and I'm a religious "the universe is void of life" kinda guy. Although that's my personal belief, and I don't have anything concrete to base it on.

There's either another method that produces phosphine on Venus, such as massive phosphine volcanos, or another unknown chemical reaction that can create phosphine. The last possibility barring all others, is actual microbes.

The answer will come with a Venusian probe that will need to gather the air and analyze it there.

And some think that trees had been a bad move and that no one should have left the oceans.

Phosphine is quite toxic, and 1000 times more abundant on Venus, Jupiter and Saturn, than Earth:

https://www.space.com/venus-clouds-possible-life-chemical-discovery.html

The chemical is a life killer. More hype, nothing tangible other than conjecture.

Send probes, collect data, analyze. That's all we can do. Making believe this means alien life exists is... silly.

I'm not saying it's life. But have you actually read the paper? Doesn't seem so.

They even say they doubt it's life. Several times. You are quoting news agencies it seems

What's interesting is how this is created on a rocky world.

I've read enough. I'm clarifying to those here who would think that it is life.

I agree with you, send probes. The only way to really prove it in opinion.

Though I'm not sure I agree with you about the volume of Phosphine on Venus. Saturn and Jupiter, yes.

Give it a few days and this topic will be all forgotten about and then the cycle will start all over again with some new revelation by either NASA or some other institution claiming that life may exist on such and such planet.

In other space exploration news:


NASA Data Confirms Something Is Leaking Out Of Uranus

I heard they tried to probe some fissures and crevices but were met with a large expulsion of noxious vapors.

+1 Paul Morrison.

+2 Paul

So as I alluded to before, this is just another sensationalized and unsubstantiated story made to drum up mouse clicks and eyeballs.

mmmmmmmmmmmm, " Life on Venus " If there is any chance of women Err Life on another planet, we need to Thrust and probe into the darkest reaches.

Those skimpy outfits are quite practical considering the climate on Venus.

Ironic you say that whilst agreeing to a post with a cut/paste from a mouse click

And despite what you read, I am not reading about a major declaration of life everywhere; just the unexplained discovery of phosphines. Yes some news outlets will go down the alien route - does that mean it is not worthy of reading about?

I do wonder how people would react if it was NASA announcing it instead.

We'd still be skeptical if NASA announced this. The data is what it represents, and that is not life, just detected spectroscopic signatures of phosphines.

This tells us what?

That phosphine is present. Nothing else, nothing more.

Which could be a new method of how it is created. Which could help with our knowledge of science. And yes, there is a very small chance it is microbial life.

I personally believe it is more likely to do with volcanic activity on Venus. But I'm not a scientist.

Every scientific outlet I've read seem to think it's a big deal without mentioning it being a source of life.

But you have your own ideas right?

I've written a couple of science fiction novels(not published yet), so I happen to know a thing or three about science.

This isn't a big deal for me.

Carl Sagan once said,



Words of wisdom we should all live by, especially when it comes to the profound implications that may result from the discovery of alien life.


This is evidence of a molecule, one we have also detected on other planets through spectroscopy.


Had they detected this molecule in a sample of frozen debris snatched from a comet, only shortly thereafter to discover an extraterrestrial cell in the same sample, that would be exciting.

I have always loved that quote.

Yet again you keep directing the discovery to life or lack of. I find it more fascinating that this discovery involved the molecules being 60km high up in the clouds and what could cause this to happen and it's creation.

You are right about the comet idea, that would be something else. The presence of volcanoes on Venus for me offers alternative explanations, I truly hope missions are announced to go and find out.

Good luck with the publishing of your books...... The comet idea may be a good story!

Well, to be fair, that IS the Topic Title for the thread...

Written the day before the press conference......

I'd be skeptical if NASA announced the earth is still round...pending further ludicrously expensive studies of course.

A pretty good explanation:


https://youtu.be/GWj85r02Oiw


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