Scientists have announced they found signs of life in Venus’s atmosphere, a chemical called phosphine, which may refocus efforts to find extraterrestrial life to one of the inner planets, the New York Times reports.
Phosphine is a chemical released by the breakdown of organic matter. Outlined in two papers released today, astronomers have spotted the chemical by analyzing the wavelengths of light coming off the Venusian atmosphere; the discovery still has to be confirmed by other astronomers.
The discovery of the chemical in Venus will refocus the search for extraterrestrial life from the expected targets of Mars, Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Those three bodies are believed to have water on the surface, subsurface or atmosphere, which is believed to be a necessary building block of life. Astrobiologists has long doubted–but not dismissed–the potential for Venus to host life because of the high temperatures caused by an out-of-control greenhouse effect that put surface temperatures of 880° F, which means there is no liquid water.