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MELISSA: SCIENTISTS DISCOVERING
POSSIBLE SIGNS OF LIFE ON VENUS.
A NEW STUDY FINDING TRACES OF
GAS IN A PLANET’S CLOUDS MAY
INDICATE SOME FORM OF LIFE
EXISTED OR MAY EVEN EXIST THERE.
FAMED ASTRO PHYSICIST NEIL
DEGRASSE TYSON JOINS US NOW TO
BREAK IT ALL DOWN.
WE’RE HONORED TO BE HAVE YOU.
>> GREAT TO BE BACK.
MELISSA: THIS IS SURPRISING TO A
LOT OF PEOPLE, THANK YOU,
BECAUSE VENUS IS A PRETTY
HOSTILE PLANET?
>> IT IS AS HOSTILE AS IT GETS.
IT IS MUCH HOTTER THAN A PIZZA
OVEN IF YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO DO
THE MATH ON THAT.
SO THESE MOLECULES THAT WERE
DISCOVERED, THEY’RE CALLED
BIOMARKERS.
SO UNTIL THE DAY ARRIVES WHERE
WE HAVE MAGIC TELESCOPES THAT
CAN SEE TO THE SURFACES OF
SHROUDED PLANETS TO WATCH FOR
CREATURES CRAWLING BACK AND
FORTH, UNTIL THAT DAY ARRIVES,
WHICH MAY BE NEVER, WE HAVE TO
BE SATISFIED WITH NOT FINDING
LIFE DIRECTLY BUT FINDING THE
SIGNATURE OF LIFE, THE
BIOMARKERS THAT BETRAY THE
EXISTENCE OF LIFE AT ANYWHERE
ELSE IN THE, IN THE WORLD THAT
YOU’RE STUDYING.
AND SO THESE MOLECULES IT IS
PHOSPHINE.
PHOSPHORUS WITH THREE HYDROGEN
ATOMS ATTACHED TO IT, KNOWN TO
BE A PRODUCT OF LIFE ON EARTH,
LIFE AS WE KNOW IT, METABOLIZES
NOT IN THE PRESENCE OF OXYGEN.
ANAEROBIC LIFE.
YOU HAVE IT IN YOUR GUT.
IT IS IN THE GUT OF LIFE
ANIMALS.
IT’S A COMMON PHENOMENON ON
EARTH.
THERE ARE NOT MANY OTHER WAYS WE
THINK TO MAKE IT OTHER THAN BY
THE NATURAL CAUSES OF BEING
ALIVE.
AND SO THEY FOUND A LAYER IN
VENUS’ ATMOSPHERE THAT IS NOT SO
HIGH TEMPERATURE, NOT SO HIGH
PRESSURE AND IT IS SORT OF JUST
RIGHT.
YOU CAN IMAGINE LIKE A
GOLDILOCKS ZONE IN THE
ATMOSPHERE THAT COULD SUSTAIN
MOLECULES OF BIOLOGY.
MELISSA: HOW SURPRISING WAS THIS
TO YOU AND HOW BIG OF A DEAL IS
IT?
>> I’M COMPLETELY SURPRISED.
I’M DELIGHTED AND SURPRISED
BECAUSE, IT WAS SO EASY TO WRITE
OFF VENUS AS, NO, IT IS STILL AN
INTERESTING PLANET BUT, IF YOU
WANT TO LOOK FOR LIFE, LET’S ALL
LOOK TO MARS.
SO, BUT, REALLY, WE SHOULD HAVE
KNOWN THIS EARLIER.
BACK IN 1976, CARL SAYING AGAIN
AND EDWIN ASSAULT PETER GOT
TOGETHER PUBLISHED A PAPER
SPECULATING WHAT LIFE MIGHT BE
LIKE THRIVING IN THE ATMOSPHERE
OF JUPITER.
THE PRESS RAN WITH IT, OH, WE
DISCOVERED LIFE ON JUPITER.
NO, IT WAS A SCIENTIFIC EXERCISE
TO ASK, IS THE ENERGY SUPPLY,
THE CHEMISTRY, THE CONVECTION
THE, ARE THE CHEM MAT TICKS,
DYNAMICS, CAN THAT COME TOGETHER
TO SUSTAIN A LIFE ECOSYSTEM
OUTSIDE OF OUR EXPECTATIONS?
AND SO IT WAS AN INTRIGUING
RESEARCH PAPER, PEER REVIEWED
AND PUBLISHED THIS IS KIND OF IN
THE SPIRIT OF THAT.
INSTEAD OF LOOKING TO THE
SCORCHING HOT SURFACE OF VENUS
WE’RE LOOKING AT ITS ATMOSPHERE.
MELISSA: YEAH.
SO WHAT DO WE DO FROM HERE?
AS YOU SAID, WE DON’T HAVE THE
TOOLS TO DIG DEEPER BUT WE COULD
SEND SOMETHING THERE TO LOOK,
RIGHT, AS WE HAVE ON OTHER
PLANETS.
IS IT WORTH THAT IN YOUR MIND?
>> YEAH.
SO VENUS IS NOT VERY FAR AWAY,
AMONG ALL PLANETS IT GETS
CLOSEST TO US.
SO RELATIVE TO OTHER MISSIONS IN
THE SOLAR SYSTEM VENUS MISSION
IS RELATIVELY CHEAP.
SO YOU POSED THE PERFECT
QUESTION.
SO ONCE YOU HAVE THIS
TANTALIZING EVIDENCE OF THIS
MOLECULE, A BIOMARKER, NOW WE
ARE IN A POSITION TO ASK THE
NEXT ROUND OF QUESTIONS.
WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE CAUSING
IT?
HOW WOULD IT BE SUSTAINED?
HOW WOULD YOU GO INTO THE
ATMOSPHERE, DON’T GO TOO DEEP
BECAUSE YOU COULD VAPORIZE YOUR
CRAFT.
YOU WANT TO SORT OF SKIM IN THE
ATMOSPHERE, PROBABLY BRINGING
BACK SAMPLES TO PRESERVE.
IF THEY’RE MICROBES YOU WANT TO
CAPTURE THEM TO BRING BACK TO
OUR LABS.
IT IS NOT GOOD TO SEND A LAB TO
VENUS IN OUR SPACE STAGE OF
PROWESS.
COULD I BACK UP WITH A MOMENT.
IT WAS COLLABORATION.
TELESCOPES IN CHILE AND THE UK,
SCIENTISTS IN THE UNITED STATES.
IT IS QUITE THE TRIUMPH ONCE
AGAIN, OF INTERNATIONAL
SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATION WHICH
SHOULD BE A MODEL OF HOW THE
REST OF IS BEHAVE IN THIS WORLD
AND UNFORTUNATELY, I DON’T THINK
WE ALWAYS LIVE UP TO IT.
MELISSA: WELL, WE CAN LOOK AT
THE BRIGHT SIDE AND SAY IT IS
LIKE SOCIAL DISTANCING AMONG
SCIENTISTS ALL AROUND THE WORLD.
THEY’RE FAR APART BUT YOU KNOW
THEY WILL COLLABORATE.
I WILL LOOK AT IT THAT WAY.
NEIL DEGRASS TYSON.
THANKS FOR COMING ON.
MY WHOLE HOUSE WAS LOOKING
FORWARD TO THIS TODAY.