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Daily Record
Daily Record
Science
Tim Hanlon & Daniel Morrow

Venus could be 'more habitable' than previously thought, scientists claim

Alien lifeforms may be able to live on Venus as experts claim that the planet may be ‘more habitable’ than previously thought.

Venus has been deemed by scientist to be the least likely planet to find life due to its continuous temperatures of 475C during the day and night.

However, a new study published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, claims that the presence of ammonia on the planet could make life a realistic possibility, the Mirror reports.

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The chemical is said to neutralise acid on the planet, and there are hopes it could spark a chain of chemical reactions which could lead to a later discovery of life.

The study reads: “This research provides a transformative hypothesis for the chemistry of the atmospheric cloud layers of Venus while reconciling decades-long atmosphere anomalies.

“Our model predicts that the clouds are not entirely made of sulphuric acid, but are partially composed of ammonium salt slurries, which may be the result of biological production of ammonia in cloud droplets.

“As a result, the clouds are no more acidic than some extreme terrestrial environments that harbour life. Life could be making its own environment on Venus. The model’s predictions for the abundance of gases in Venus’ atmosphere match observation better than any previous model, and are readily testable."

MIT research co-author Sara Seager said that life exists in acidic environments on Earth "but it's nothing like the environment on Venus ­— unless life is neutralizing some of those droplets," reported indy100.com.

It means that despite the hostility of Venus' surface with its strong acidity, that the ammonia could make life a possibility.

And at the same time while Venus doesn't have the right atmospheric conditions now to have water it is possible that it did when the Solar System was younger and the atmosphere was thinner.

It’s also possible that living organisms could now be prospering within the cloud-decks of Venus even if on the surface it is too hot. A possibility could be that life began on the surface and then took refuge in the clods when a greenhouse effect took place.

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