Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Overview
- Prologue
- A note on scientific units
- Acknowledgements
- Part I Views of Venus, from the beginning to the present day
- Part II The motivation to continue the quest
- Chapter 9 Origin and evolution
- Chapter 10 Atmosphere and ocean
- Chapter 11 A volcanic world
- Chapter 12 The mysterious clouds
- Chapter 13 Superwinds and polar vortices
- Chapter 14 The climate on Venus, past, present and future
- Chapter 15 Could there be life on Venus?
- Part III Plans and visions for the future
- Epilogue
- References and acknowledgements
- Appendix A Chronology of space missions to Venus
- Appendix B Data about Venus
- Index
- Plate section
- References
Chapter 15 - Could there be life on Venus?
from Part II - The motivation to continue the quest
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 September 2014
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Overview
- Prologue
- A note on scientific units
- Acknowledgements
- Part I Views of Venus, from the beginning to the present day
- Part II The motivation to continue the quest
- Chapter 9 Origin and evolution
- Chapter 10 Atmosphere and ocean
- Chapter 11 A volcanic world
- Chapter 12 The mysterious clouds
- Chapter 13 Superwinds and polar vortices
- Chapter 14 The climate on Venus, past, present and future
- Chapter 15 Could there be life on Venus?
- Part III Plans and visions for the future
- Epilogue
- References and acknowledgements
- Appendix A Chronology of space missions to Venus
- Appendix B Data about Venus
- Index
- Plate section
- References
Summary
Is there life on Venus? Probably not.
We could leave it there, except for the fact that there are several good scientists who do not dismiss the possibility, so there is definitely something to discuss. Also, we have to admit that we do not really understand the conditions under which life can evolve, or at least survive, and accept that there is life on Earth in niches (inside nuclear reactors, for example, or deep down in cold, dark frozen lakes) where no one expected to find it until it was discovered recently. Certainly, if we want to know whether we are alone in the Universe, and most of us do, we should leave no stone unturned.
Possible habitats on Venus
There are two very different environments where we might look for life on Venus: in the clouds and on the surface. Most of the research to date has focused on the former, for the obvious reason that the temperatures and pressures near the cloud tops are close to those at the Earth’s surface where we know that conditions suit life forms of many kinds. There is also a supply of liquid water, widely accepted as a prerequisite for life of any kind. There is also plenty of energy, as solar radiation beats down on the cloud tops with only moderate amounts of attenuation during its passage through the upper atmosphere. The vigorous dynamical activity, providing mixing and a strong diurnal effect, is all to the good. Finally, we already have evidence for chemical activity, for instance that which converts sulphur dioxide to sulphate, and this is no doubt only the tip of the iceberg as far as chemistry is concerned, and in a basicallyCO2 atmosphere some of it will be pre-organic (at least), providing further sources of energy and the compounds that might be the building blocks of life.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Scientific Exploration of Venus , pp. 225 - 234Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2014