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3. Life on Venus? (English Vocabulary Lesson)

Thinking in English

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The Search for Extraterrestrial Life Takes a Strange Turn With Venus' Atmosphere

Phosphine is a toxic compound of hydrogen and phosphorus. It has been identified by astrobiologists as a potential indicator for life on other planets. Scientists believe that they have found traces of phosphine in Venus' atmosphere. The gas should not be able to exist for long on the inhospitable planet. Something must be replenishing the gas for it to appear consistently. One possibility is an unknown chemical process or more excitingly, biological life. This leaves us with the bizarre prospect that microbial activity may be occurring in the scorching acidic clouds above Venus.

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