«Extraterrestrial life is more likely to be found on the icy moons of the outer solar system»
NASA scientist “absolutely sure“ in the existence of alien life in our solar system – and claims that aliens are most likely lurking on Venus. Dr. Michel Taller states that «possible signs of life» have been observed on this planet.
Photo: pxhere.com
Venus – the hottest planet in our solar system, which suffers from scorching temperatures of 475°C under a thick acidic atmosphere, – may be the last place you would expect to see alien life, the Daily Mail notes with no small amount of skepticism.
But nevertheless one NASA scientist claims that aliens are most likely hiding on Venus in unbearable conditions for humans. The new theory has been put forward by Dr. Michelle Taller, a researcher at the US-based Goddard Space Flight Center.
Dr. Taller claims that «possible signs of life» had already been seen in an atmosphere filled with carbon dioxide, adding that she was absolutely certain that life existed somewhere.
"We see possible signs of life in the atmosphere of Venus,– said Dr. Taller in an interview with The Sun. – I never expected it to be Venus. Now on Venus, we are seeing something in the atmosphere very similar to what could be produced by bacteria.
Venus is often called the «twin of the Earth»; due to its similar size and structure, the Daily Mail notes. But their conditions can hardly be further apart, which is why astronomers believe that the existence of people on Venus would be simply impossible.
Located 67 million miles from the Sun, Venus – the hottest planet in our solar system, suffering temperatures that could melt lead. Its atmosphere, composed of sulfuric acid and carbon dioxide, exacerbates the situation, causing a «runaway greenhouse effect» that prevents heat from escaping into the surrounding space.
Despite this, scientists have long debated whether the clouds of Venus could contain microbial life forms that can survive on sulfur, methane and iron. Many assume that photosynthesis is possible on the surface of the planet, since Venus receives enough solar energy to penetrate even through its thick clouds.
However, Professor Dominic Papineau, an astrobiologist at University College London, believes that the doctor's views Taller is «difficult to justify realistically.»
Speaking to MailOnline, Professor Papineau explained: “The chemical reactions associated with life require liquid water to take place. Therefore, to find extraterrestrial life, we need to find liquid water, and to find extraterrestrial fossils, we need to look for sedimentary rocks that were associated with liquid water in the past. This makes it difficult to be realistic about life on Venus today because its surface is too hot, even though Venus may have had liquid water in the past. However, the problem with possible fossils on Venus is widespread volcanism, which seems to have covered much of the surface in the last few hundred million years.»
NASA suggests there are 290 » «traditional moons», excluding 462 small asteroids and minor planets, writes the Daily Mail.
«It's more likely that we could find extraterrestrial life and/or fossils on Mars and on the icy moons of the outer solar system , – continues Professor Papineau. – This is because liquid water exists on these planetary bodies, including in the ice at the South Pole of Mars. Mars and the icy moons also have a geological record that could preserve fossils”.