Andrew Yee[_1_]
July 26th 08, 02:28 AM
Cardiff University
Cardiff, Wales, UK
26 July 2008
Men are from Earth, Microbes are from Venus ?
Venus, Earth's sister planet, has historically been written off as a planet
which could harbour life. It has a dense atmosphere of mostly Carbon
Dioxide, a strong greenhouse effect and surface temperatures of 450 degrees
Celsius.
However, a new paper in the journal Astrophysics and Space Science by
Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe and Dr. Janaki Wickramasinghe of the
Cardiff Centre of Astrobiology suggests otherwise. They claim that the
clouds of Venus could support microbial life -- which could be transported
to Earth.
After analysing new data from the European Space Agency's Venus Express
probe, the authors claim that bacteria which have been found in extreme
conditions in sulphurous hot springs on Earth would also thrive in the
Venusian clouds. The paper suggests that the chemical composition of the
clouds, as well as the sizes and optical properties of its dust, show
consistency with the action of microorganisms.
The scientists also claim that when the Sun, Earth and Venus are suitably
aligned, microbes from the atmosphere of Venus could be transferred to
Earth. They suggest a mechanism whereby microbes are carried to high levels
in the Venusian atmosphere, and the powerful solar wind expels them to reach
Earth within days or weeks. The last such alignment took place in 2004 and
the next will happen in 2012.
Professor Wickramasinghe said: "Venus and Earth have often been referred to
as sisters because of their geological similarities. Our research proposes
that the two sisters may be biologically interconnected as well."
The new paper -- On the possibility of microbiota transfer from Venus to
Earth -- is published online in Astrophysics and Space Science,
http://www.springer.com/astronomy/journal/10509
DOI 10.1007/s10509-008-9851-2
Cardiff, Wales, UK
26 July 2008
Men are from Earth, Microbes are from Venus ?
Venus, Earth's sister planet, has historically been written off as a planet
which could harbour life. It has a dense atmosphere of mostly Carbon
Dioxide, a strong greenhouse effect and surface temperatures of 450 degrees
Celsius.
However, a new paper in the journal Astrophysics and Space Science by
Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe and Dr. Janaki Wickramasinghe of the
Cardiff Centre of Astrobiology suggests otherwise. They claim that the
clouds of Venus could support microbial life -- which could be transported
to Earth.
After analysing new data from the European Space Agency's Venus Express
probe, the authors claim that bacteria which have been found in extreme
conditions in sulphurous hot springs on Earth would also thrive in the
Venusian clouds. The paper suggests that the chemical composition of the
clouds, as well as the sizes and optical properties of its dust, show
consistency with the action of microorganisms.
The scientists also claim that when the Sun, Earth and Venus are suitably
aligned, microbes from the atmosphere of Venus could be transferred to
Earth. They suggest a mechanism whereby microbes are carried to high levels
in the Venusian atmosphere, and the powerful solar wind expels them to reach
Earth within days or weeks. The last such alignment took place in 2004 and
the next will happen in 2012.
Professor Wickramasinghe said: "Venus and Earth have often been referred to
as sisters because of their geological similarities. Our research proposes
that the two sisters may be biologically interconnected as well."
The new paper -- On the possibility of microbiota transfer from Venus to
Earth -- is published online in Astrophysics and Space Science,
http://www.springer.com/astronomy/journal/10509
DOI 10.1007/s10509-008-9851-2