Life on jupiter could be possible? Researchers explore the possibilities

According to a new research, the chances of life in Venus' clouds are little to none. Scientists from Europe and the United States announced on Monday that the hot planet's clouds lack almost enough water vapour to support life as we know it. Following the surprising disclosure in September by others that weird, microscopic creatures may be lurking in Venus's thick, sulfuric acid-filled clouds, the team delved into the subject.

No life on venus say researchers

The newest study group discovered that the water level is more than 100 times too low to host Earth-like life based on satellite data. John Hallsworth, a microbiologist at Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland, is the primary author. His team examined the most drought-tolerant and acid-tolerant microorganisms on Earth, concluding that they "wouldn't stand a chance at Venus."

While the new findings rule out Venus for water-based creatures, they do point to another planet, Jupiter, as having enough water in its clouds and the proper atmospheric temperatures to sustain life. According to Hallsworth and NASA astrobiologist Chris McKay, a co-author on the research report published Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy, more research is needed to determine whether microbial life may persist deep under Jupiter's clouds.

What about life on Jupiter?

Hallsworth further added that the team is not suggesting that there is life on Jupiter, neither is the research team suggesting that life could be there because it would need the nutrients to be there. The research team is not sure of that either, yet it is a profound and exciting finding and totally unexpected. In terms of Venus, three new spacecraft — two from NASA and one from the European Space Agency — will be launched there later this decade and early next. The conclusions of Hallsworth and McKay's study on inhospitable water activities on our solar system's hottest planet are unlikely to alter.

The presence of the deadly chemical phosphine was used by the scientists behind the September research that may have hinted at life in the Venusian clouds. It is connected with life on Earth. The quantities of phosphine on Venus are too high to be geologic, according to the experts. "We're not attempting to promote Venus as a potentially livable planet. Until now, all traditional interpretations have claimed that Venus is livable "Sara Seager, an astronomer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was a member of the September team.

IMAGE: NASA UNSPLASH