Mounting evidence of chemical disequilibria in the Venusian atmosphere has heightened interest in the search for life within the planet’s cloud decks. Balloon systems are currently considered to be the […]
Venus
Posted inVenus
No Signs (Yet) Of Life On Venus
The unusual behaviour of sulphur in Venus’ atmosphere cannot be explained by an ‘aerial’ form of extra-terrestrial life, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of Cambridge used […]
Posted inVenus
Proposed Energy-metabolisms Cannot Explain The Atmospheric Chemistry Of Venus
Life in the clouds of Venus, if present in sufficiently high abundance, must be affecting the atmospheric chemistry. It has been proposed that abundant Venusian life could obtain energy from […]
Posted inVenus
Venus As An Exoplanet: I. An Initial Exploration Of The 3-D Energy Balance For A CO2 Exoplanetary Atmosphere Around An M-Dwarf Star
The chemical evolution of an exoplanetary Venus-like atmosphere is dependent upon the ultraviolet to near ultraviolet (FUV-NUV) radiation ratio from the parent star, the balance between CO2 photolysis and recombination […]
Posted inVenus
The Long-term Evolution Of The Atmosphere Of Venus: Processes And Feedback Mechanisms
In this chapter, we focus on the long-term evolution of the atmosphere of Venus, and how it has been affected by interior/exterior cycles. The formation and evolution of Venus’s atmosphere, […]
Posted inTerraforming & Geoengineering
Cloud Continents: Terraforming Venus Efficiently by Means of a Floating Artificial Surface
The similarity of Venus and Earth in bulk properties make Venus an appealing target for future colonization. Several proposals have been put forward for colonizing and even terraforming Venus despite […]
Posted inVenus
Life Could Be Thriving In The Clouds Of Venus
Is there life on Venus? For more than a century, scientists have pondered this question. Now, there is renewed interest in Venus as a place that could support living organisms. […]
Posted inVenus
Could Acid-neutralizing Life-forms Make Habitable Pockets In Venus' Clouds?
It’s hard to imagine a more inhospitable world than our closest planetary neighbor. With an atmosphere thick with carbon dioxide, and a surface hot enough to melt lead, Venus is […]
Posted inVenus
Production of Ammonia Makes Venusian Clouds Habitable and Explains Observed Cloud-Level Chemical Anomalies
The atmosphere of Venus remains mysterious, with many outstanding chemical connundra. These include: the unexpected presence of ~10 ppm O2 in the cloud layers; an unknown composition of large particles […]
Posted inVenus
Could Life Be Making Its Own Habitable Environment In The Clouds Of Venus?
Scientists have proposed a new theory which suggests that possible lifeforms in the clouds of Venus could be setting off a cascade of chemical reactions that is making the environment […]