London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025

Study Rules Out Life On Venus Due To Lack Of Water

Study Rules Out Life On Venus Due To Lack Of Water

The search for life on Venus has so far proved fruitless, although a 2020 paper had claimed to have detected phosphine gas -- known to be produced by bacteria on Earth -- in the planet's clouds.

A study measuring water concentration in Venus's atmosphere concluded Monday that life as we know it is not possible among the sulphuric acid droplets that make up the planet's famously cloudy skies.

The search for life on our nearest neighbour has so far proved fruitless, although a 2020 paper rekindled hopes for Venus when it claimed to have detected phosphine gas -- known to be produced by bacteria on Earth -- in the planet's clouds.

The authors have since called their own findings into question.

But the claim inspired scientists led by Queen's University Belfast to test the theory from a different angle: whether there is enough water in Venus's atmosphere to make life possible.

In 2017, microbiologist John Hallsworth discovered a terrestrial fungus that can survive at 58.5 per cent relative humidity -- the driest conditions at which biological activity has ever been measured.

"We bent over backwards to argue that the most extreme, tolerant microbes on Earth could potentially have activity on Venus," said Hallsworth at a press conference.

But he said nothing could cope with the miniscule amount of water in the planet's atmosphere, which is equivalent to a relative humidity of 0.4 per cent.

"It's more than 100 times too low. It's almost at the bottom of the scale, at an unbridgeable distance from what life requires to be active."

Jupiter 'More Optimistic'


To calculate the concentration of water, scientists used existing measurements from seven US and Soviet probes and one orbiter mission sent to Venus in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Chris McKay, a NASA planetary scientist and co-author of the research published in Nature Astronomy, noted that the conclusions of the study were based on the limited direct observations available, and therefore incomplete.

"It's hard to imagine that the results will change as we do further exploration," McKay told reporters.

The team also analysed measurements taken from probes that visited other planets -- and discovered potentially the right amount of water activity to support life in the clouds of Jupiter.

"The results were much more optimistic," said McKay.

"There is at least a layer in the clouds of Jupiter where the water requirements are met."

He emphasised, however, that it is much easier to rule out life in Venus's atmosphere than to prove life is possible in Jupiter's clouds.

"To show that that layer is habitable we would have to go through all the requirements for life and show that they're all met," he said, adding that determining things like ultraviolet exposure and energy sources would require further exploration.

'Search For Life'


Three more Venus missions are planned for sometime around 2030 and McKay feels certain they will confirm the measurements used for the study.

He also said that one mission could shed light on a question not addressed by current research: whether life could have existed on Venus several billion years ago.

"There could've been a time when Venus was earth-like," McKay said.

"One of the missions will fly through the atmosphere and measure trace gases... which will tell us a lot about Venus's evolutionary history and will start to address questions like how much atmosphere did Venus have, where did it go, what happened?"

And the study's authors hope their method of determining water activity will be applied to planets beyond our solar system -- especially with the upcoming launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) later this year.

"The JWST will be able to determine atmospheric profiles of temperature, pressure and water abundance in exoplanet atmospheres," the study concludes.

"These will allow assessments of water activity in their atmospheres using our approach."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×