Microbial life might occur in Venus’ cloud layer. Employees of the Ural Federal University came to this conclusion after conducting laboratory tests that demonstrated bacteria’ capacity to exist in the foggy layer of the solar system’s second planet.
Russian scientists have proposed a proposal on the likelihood of microbial life in Venus’s atmosphere.
Microbes may dwell in the planet’s cloud layer, in a unique biological niche known as a foam-water structure. The temperature at which certain microorganisms on Earth may survive is maintained by Venus’ cloud layer.
“Because Venus’s surface is too hot for water to exist, all of the planet’s water evaporated, forming clouds 20 to 25 kilometers thick.”
“At first, the acidity of Venus’ clouds was neutral, but when sulfur dioxide entered the atmosphere, the acidity of the environment increased, causing natural selection to favor resistance to acid exposure.”
“Microbes in Venus’s atmosphere are thought to have inhabited a particular niche in the liquid phase of clouds, where there are dissolved nutrients,” the researchers write.
It’s unclear if microorganisms may be found in Venus’ clouds. We’ll be able to find out thanks to upcoming interplanetary trips.
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