A new and thorough analysis of the chemistry of clouds on Venus has revealed none of the biomarkers indicative of airborne, sulfur-metabolizing life.
. The signature of a compound of sulfur, sulfur dioxide , is very peculiar on Venus: abundant at lower altitudes, but really quite low at higher.
Biological processes extract elements from their environment, and expel different elements into it. Respiration is a good example: we humans breathe in oxygen, and breathe out carbon dioxide. So in the new study, a team of researchers led by astronomer Sean Jordan from the University of Cambridge set out to investigate the chemical reactions we should expect, given the available energy sources in Venus' atmosphere.
The strange sulfur dioxide signature was of particular interest. Here on Earth, the compound is produced volcanically, and it's possible that it isHowever, if organisms with sulfur-based metabolism were living in the upper atmosphere of Venus, they might be responsible for the peculiar lack of sulfur dioxide at those altitudes.sulfur-based metabolisms that could theoretically utilize the chemical species available in Venus' atmosphere.
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