Astronomers find signs of life in the clouds of Venus

Life may exist on Venus, scientists have suggested, after discovering phosphine gas hidden in the planet's clouds.

The gas has been detected in the atmosphere of Venus, which indicates it could host unknown photochemical or geochemical processes.

On Earth, phosphine - a colourless gas that has the smell of garlic or decaying fish - is produced predominantly by anaerobic biological sources - organisms which don’t require oxygen to grow.

And small amounts of the gas occur naturally from the breakdown of organic matter. While the conditions on the surface of Venus - the second planet from the Sun - are hostile to life, the environment of its upper cloud deck, around 53-62km (33-38 miles) above the surface, is temperate.

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