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"Scientists have long suspected that volcanoes played a huge role in the evolution of cloud-shrouded Venus, the second planet from the sun. Now, images from Europe's Venus Express orbiter are showing that volcanic eruptions may not just be a thing from the past. Scientists discovered four transient bright spots in a relatively young rift zone known as Ganiki Chasma, which was observed 36 times by the spacecraft's Venus Monitoring Camera"
Despite its run-away greenhouse gas effect and extreme heat could this find be a sign that life does exist there?
intrptr
reply to post by lostbook
Despite its run-away greenhouse gas effect and extreme heat could this find be a sign that life does exist there?
Doubt it. Unless life can live in an 800 degree oven and breathe sulfuric acid air.
I think the air pressure is kind of high at ground level, too.
(Cue scientists that need money for Probes)
jeep3r
reply to post by lostbook
Interesting, although not too surprising IMO: the Venera probes already found signs indicating ongoing volcanism in the 1970s.
However, I'm always glad to see Venus pop up in news items like that every once in a while. Apart from its size, it doesn't have a lot of similarities with Earth today, but we don't really know much about Venus' past, do we? Things might have been very different prior to the runaway green-house effect that dominates the atmosphere of Venus today. Nevertheless: interesting post & thanks for bringing this to our attention!
I have always had a problem with this statement. It’s not you but this statement that has been used as the reason for Venus’ high temperatures. Is there any evidence that a greenhouse gas effect can create 800-900° surface temperatures?
Despite its run-away greenhouse gas effect
The theory is that life exists up in the clouds. Buoyancy would be much easier to obtain in such a dense atmosphere and there are signs of water in the upper clouds. It’s highly unlikely but not impossible.
Doubt it. Unless life can live in an 800 degree oven and breathe sulfuric acid air.
Do you have a link? Keep in mind we are looking for evidence of ongoing volcanism not just volcanoes (dormant as they may be).
the Venera probes already found signs indicating ongoing volcanism in the 1970s.
We have life that lives in extreme environments here on Earth relative to their environment(s). Why wouldn't this same rule apply on Venus?
The theory is that life exists up in the clouds.
Devino
Do you have a link? Keep in mind we are looking for evidence of ongoing volcanism not just volcanoes (dormant as they may be).
the Venera probes already found signs indicating ongoing volcanism in the 1970s.
I have always had a problem with this statement. It’s not you but this statement that has been used as the reason for Venus’ high temperatures. Is there any evidence that a greenhouse gas effect can create 800-900° surface temperatures?
TrueBrit
Well, I am not at all surprised by this result. I am surprised, that despite all the extremophile life forms we have discovered, that live on our own planet, in what we thought just a few years back, were conditions which make life impossible, that people STILL think that Venus could not support simple life forms.
Volcanic activity on the surface is a good positive confirmation though!
The nice thing about ATS is that we don’t need to be a “specialist” to have a valued opinion.
Please note that I'm in no way a specialist in volcanism on Venus,
Not inconceivable just lacking in any real evidence.
I've read about these early theories and indications here and there, always leaving me with the notion that present-day volcanism on Venus is not completely inconceivable ...
Source
In a synopsis of the research, lead author Eugene Shalygin, also with the Max-Planck Institute, wrote that the discovery of present-day volcanic activity on Venus would have “major implications” for understanding processes in the planet’s interior, surface and atmosphere.
We can speculate all day long yet where is the real evidence? Is there any proof that CO2, or more importantly the Venusian atmosphere, can create the observed temperatures found on Venus from the Sun through a greenhouse effect?
Venus likely underwent a runaway or “moist greenhouse” phase...
Today, a dense CO2 atmosphere keeps Venus extremely hot.
The temperature on Venus is very hot and the standing question is why. I am not convinced that this is a runaway greenhouse effect or even if a greenhouse effect could actually create temperatures close to that observed on Venus.
The term runaway greenhouse refers to a specific process when discussed by planetary scientists, and simply having a very hot, high-CO2 atmosphere is not it. It is best thought of as a process that may have happened in Venus’ past rather than a circumstance it is currently in.
Yes, another catchy phrase that isn’t backed by any real evidence. The “goldilocks zone” idea doesn’t seem to take Extremeophiles into account, i.e. real evidence. I think this old term needs to be tossed out just like the term "runaway greenhouse effect".
I thought the theory of life was that it can't exist outside the "Goldilocks zone"? Maybe thats an old theory.
The “goldilocks zone” idea doesn’t seem to take Extremeophiles into account, i.e. real evidence.