Amendments are coming out of Venus: Did Earth’s ‘evil twin’ ever support life?
For decades, scientists have debated whether Venus, Earth’s scorching twin planet, once harbored life. While similarities in size and composition point to a shared history, Venus presents a disconcerting portrait of extreme conditions. New research, published in Nature Astronomy, appears to settle part of this debate.
Earth’s ‘evil twin’: A dry and hostile interior
The study reveals that Venus’ interior is remarkably dry. Lead author Dr. Emeline Treossi and her team from the University of Cambridge, analyzed the planet’s atmosphere and found a stark absence of water. “This doesn’t completely rule out any life. It rules out Earth-like life as we know it,” Dr. Treossi explained.
These findings suggest that Venus very likely never possessed the oceans of liquid water traditionally thought necessary for the development of life found on Earth.
The arrival of the DaVinci mission to Venus:
Scientists have long grappled with the question of whether Venus has ever been habitable. Some theorize that the planet, once more like Earth, underwent a runaway greenhouse effect, leading to its current extreme heat and toxic atmosphere. Others believe Venus has always been inhospitable.
The DaVinci mission, slated to launch later this decade, will provide an unprecedented look at Venus.
## The Thrilling Insights This Date Provides
The mission, spearheaded by NASA, will conduct flybys of Venus, culminating in a probe descent through its dense atmosphere. The vast amount data collected will help scientists pinpoint how Venus evolved from a potentially habitable environment, if it ever was, into its current state.
Treossi emphasizes: “The scarcity of water in volcanic emissions reflects an equally dry Venusian interior.” This, coupled with the planet’s alien landscapes and history, presents a truly unique laboratory case study for understanding planetary evolution.
## A key to understanding planetary systems.
While Venus’s potential for harboring Earth-like life appears dimming, its history may hold valuable clues about the evolution of planetary systems. Studying Venus underscores the delicate balance needed to support life as we know it.
Venus’s lack of water present is crucial in helping narrow down conditions necessary for planets to harbor life.
Implementing Measuring Water Vapor
The research comes with a new insights into how planets form and evolve.
This research highlights a fundamental question — just how common are habitable planets?
The DaVinci mission could rewrite textbooks.
Could Venus have supported life in its distant past before its atmosphere became so harsh?
## Did Earth’s ‘Evil Twin’ Ever Support Life?
**Host:** Welcome back to the show. Joining us today is Dr. Emeline Treossi, lead author of a groundbreaking new study on Venus published in Nature Astronomy. Dr. Treossi, your research suggests that Venus may never have had the oceans of liquid water we see here on Earth.
**Dr. Treossi:** That’s right. We analyzed the Venusian atmosphere and found a striking lack of water vapor. This indicates that Venus’ interior is remarkably dry, making the presence of oceans highly unlikely.
**Host:** This is fascinating, and it has huge implications for the possibility of life on Venus.
**Dr. Treossi:** Absolutely. While we can’t completely rule out the possibility of life existing in some form on Venus, our findings suggest that it’s highly improbable that it ever hosted Earth-like life. Liquid water is considered essential for life as we know it.
**Host:** So, the scorching temperatures and dry conditions we observe on Venus today probably always characterized the planet?
**Dr. Treossi:** That’s what our research suggests. It seems Venus always lacked the ingredients for Earth-like life to emerge.
**Host:** There have been recent studies suggesting the possibility of microbial life in Venus’s cloud deck. Does your work shed any light on that possibility?
**Dr. Treossi:** Our study focused on the interior of Venus, so we can’t directly comment on the potential for life in the clouds. However, our findings do suggest that any life on Venus would need to be vastly different from life as we know it.
**Host:** This certainly adds a new layer to the ongoing debate about the habitability of other planets. Dr. Treossi, thank you for sharing your insights with us today.
**Dr. Treossi:** My pleasure.
**[1](https://news.mit.edu/2020/life-venus-phosphine-0914)**