Venus may support life, new atmospheric evidence suggests

New preliminary evidence for phosphine and ammonia in Venus' atmosphere deepens the mystery of what produces these gases. The enigmatic origins of phosphine and now ammonia mean that the idea that these chemicals could have a biological source on Venus is being seriously considered by some scientists.

Venus seems an unlikely place to find life because of its extremely hot surface temperatures, enough to melt lead, and its terrifying surface pressure. The presence of phosphine and ammonia in the clouds of the second planet from the sun and the hottest planet in the solar system implies that if life were ...