Biomarker Phosphine Discovered in the Atmosphere of Venus

Explanation: Could there be life floating in the atmosphere of Venus? Although Earth's planetary neighbor has a surface considered too extreme for any known lifeform, Venus' upper atmosphere may be sufficiently mild for tiny airborne microbes . This usually disfavored prospect took an unexpected upturn yesterday with the announcement of the discovery of Venusian phosphine . The chemical phosphine (PH3) is a considered a biomarker because it seems so hard to create from routine chemical processes thought to occur on or around a rocky world such as Venus -- but it is known to be created by microbial life on Earth . The featured image of Venus and its thick clouds was taken in two bands of ultraviolet light by the Venus-orbing Akatsuki , a Japan ese robotic satellite that has been orbiting the cloud-shrouded world since 2015. The phosphine finding , if confirmed, may set off renewed interest in searching for other indications of life floating high in the atmosphere of our Solar System 's second planet out from the Sun .

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