what is special about this moment and our role in it as scientists is that for the
first time we're actually able because we have the tools the hand for life outside
our planet has been at the Forefront of many astronomers careers while there have
been technological advancements to pierce deep into the cosmos sometimes the most
compelling evidence will be found in entirely unexpected places right in our own backyard
[Music] a team of scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
recently published a paper with exciting new findings on Earth's closest neighbor Venus
they were looking into the composition of Venus's atmosphere which is heavily dominated by thick
clouds primarily made up of carbon dioxide creating an extreme greenhouse effect causing
the planet to heat up to extreme temperatures but inside these superheated clouds astronomers
found a significant amount of chemical known as phosphate inside which can be an indicator
of Life while this chemical is found in Earth's atmosphere it hasn't been found in significant
quantities on any other rocky planet because of its difficulty to create through inorganic
processes the evidence this team found is pointing directly towards some form of extraterrestrial
life living high in the atmosphere of the second planet from the sun phosphine also known as ph3
can be created through inorganic processes but it requires just the right interactions between
volcanic activity minerals sunlight and lightning computer models that have been developed to mimic
the atmosphere of Venus have continued to show that this type of activity does not
create anywhere close to the amount of ph3 that scientists were able to detect in the atmosphere
this means for the time being until scientists can learn how this phosphine is being created
on Venus alien life will remain one of the top plausible explanations for its presence [Music]
most of us know Venus is not the most habitable planet at first glance it is the second closest
planet to the Sun and the closest planet to Earth which meant it was the first planet that we ever
sent a probe to in 1962 which gave us our first look at this hot and hostile world temperatures
on the planet regularly reach upwards of 475 degrees Celsius that's 900 degrees Fahrenheit
which means most Life as we know it on Earth would not be able to survive these temperatures are more
than hot enough to melt lead the high temperatures are thought to be due to a runaway greenhouse gas
effect filling the atmosphere with carbon dioxide trapping energy more efficiently and superheating
the atmosphere not only is Venus extremely hot but due to the dense and heavy atmosphere the pressure
on the surface is greater than 90 times what we experience here on Earth these sweltering and
crushing conditions would make it difficult for life of any kind to begin but then again there
are forms of life in the harshest conditions on Earth there are several species that live their
life around the boiling hot volcanic vents along the bottom of the ocean as well as bacteria that
live in the super acidic Hot Springs of some of Ethiopia's danichale depression [Music]
while there may be life on Venus it would be a stretch to assume it will look anything like
what we know from our experience on Earth if life is behind the presence of phosphine in
the atmosphere it will most likely be some type of small anaerobic life meaning it does not require
oxygen to survive but even life in extreme environments has its limits and if there is
life on Venus it will most likely be isolated to very thin strips of atmosphere that are habitable
while surrounded by a hostile inhospitable world in order to try and understand what kind
of life could be here scientists started to ask questions about how those life forms could have
gotten there in the first place this took the team to Venus's past over a billion years ago
the prevailing Theory regarding Venus's past is that in its early life it was much more like
Earth-like both Venus and Earth were formed around the same time around four and a half
billion years ago in its early life there were most likely vast oceans spread across
the surface where ancient life could have begun much like it did on our own Planet this early
time on Venus would have been a much more milder place with a habitable environment
perfect for the emergence of life out of the primordial soup Venus is also a rocky world
with a composition very similar to Earth's which adds to the likelihood that this phosphine comes
from an organic Source because this chemical is very difficult to make on rocky planets
until now Earth was the only terrestrial planet where phosphin has been found foreign
two separate missions to the planet set to launch in the 2030s The Da Vinci plus spacecraft will
enter the atmosphere to examine how the atmosphere evolved looking for any clues as to what may be
hiding among the clouds in addition DaVinci plus will be taking high resolution pictures of the
venusian surface the second mission will send a varatus probe close to the planet's
surface in order to generate detailed maps of its geological features astronomers Hope
by analyzing the current geology of Venus they will be able to turn back the clock and gain a
better understanding of the geological history of the planet when these missions send back the
information they acquire scientists will have a view of Venus like never before they will not
only be able to learn about the planet's surface and climate but this information
will also give astronomers Vital Information into understanding a planet's habitability
and give them a better idea of where to look for life elsewhere in the universe
[Music] Venus has taken the spotlight right now there are still several other viable options for
finding life close to home Saturn's largest moon Titan has been the target for many studies around
the search for life it is the only other planetary body besides Earth that has ever been found to
have liquid bodies on its surface not only that but astronomers have also detected many chemicals
in this Moon's atmosphere that could possibly sustain some form of life two other moons that
have also been the subject of The Hunt For Life are another of Saturn's moons in saladas and one
of Jupiter's moons Europa both of these moons show signs that life could currently be able to survive
on their surfaces another planet that has also captured the minds of many astronomers hunting
for life has been our next closest neighbor Mars who like Venus used to be a lot more Earth-like
with oceans covering the surface there have already been several Rovers sent to Mars to try to
find any evidence of life or other signs that may allow Humanity to one day colonize the red planet
from all the information presently available there is a good chance that there is or was at
some point life on another planetary body in our solar system and regardless of where it is found
when astronomers get definitive evidence of Life the field of astronomy will change forever thanks
for watching leave us a comment down below and let us know whether you think the new
probes to Venus will find concrete evidence of life or not see you next time on matter [Music]