New Study Finds Venus Was Primed for Life Before it Turned to Hell

A study released Friday by the EuroPlanet Society suggests that Venus may have been habitable for two to three billion years. We’ve known since the 1970s that Venus may have had oceans at one point in its history. More recent missions provided further data on how Venus turned from Earth-like to the inferno it is today. Many believe that a massive event on the surface roughly 700 million years ago caused an exponential greenhouse effect. The rising temperature and dense gases have made life as we know it all but impossible on the planet today. However, prior to that event, Venus would have had plenty of time for life to develop and flourish.

Details of the Study

Study authors and researchers used a series of five simulations from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. The simulations represent possible scenarios for what the environment on Venus might have looked like based on differing water levels.

Each of these scenarios suggested that Venus could have supported stable temperatures between 68 and 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Further evidence suggests these temperatures could have been sustained for up to three billion years. In the statement, study researcher Michael Way said, “Our hypothesis is that Venus may have had a stable climate for billions of years.” He continued, “It is possible that the near-global resurfacing event is responsible for its transformation from an Earth-like climate to the hellish hot-house we see today.”

Experts believe the resurfacing event Way references caused a massive release of carbon dioxide from rocks on the surface.

I’m Not Saying It Was Aliens, But…

So what this really means is that this frackin’ guy gets to do some more really amazing mental gymnastics. Now he’s got more fuel to add to his proverbial fire. Well, of course there were aliens on Venus! Who do you think showed the Egyptians how to build pyramids?

Still, the possibility of life or even civilizations on Venus hundreds of millions of years ago is tantalizing. It’s all conjecture, of course. The only thing we know (or think we know) so far is that Venus probably had a stable environment suitable for liquid water for a few billion years. That’s only a small start in the direction of where this pheasant and his compatriots will take things. Break out your tinfoil hats, the saucers from Tralfamador are coming. So it goes.

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