Researchers Find Glycine, Which are Building Blocks to Form Protein in Living Beings in Venus’s Atmosphere
In an undated image from NASA, a global view of the surface of Venus made mostly from data captured by the Magellan spacecraft in 1991. (Credit: NASA)
According to the researchers, this discovery of Glycine in Venus' atmosphere could be a key piece in understanding formative mechanisms of the pre-biotic molecule on Venus. Venus has been a hot topic of discussion for alien life ever since traces of Phosphine were discovered on the planet.
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Venus is gradually becoming one of the most interesting planets for Astro-scientists. Especially those in search of extra-terrestrial life.
A group of scientists claim that they have discovered glycine in the atmosphere of Venus. Glycine is an amino acid molecule, and amino acids are “building-blocks” to form proteins in living organisms.
The study is titled, “Detection of simplest amino acid glycine in the atmosphere of the Venus,” has been published on Cornel University’s website.
The lead authors are Arijit Manna, Sabyasachi Pal, and Mangal Hazra. Arijit Manna is a Physics PhD scholar from Midnapore College in West Bengal, India.
Manna and his team used the Atacama Large Millimeter/ submillimeter Array (ALMA) and spectroscopy for detection of the amino-acid in the Venusian atmosphere. They found the amino acid mostly concentrated in the mid-latitudes towards the equator region as the signal was strongest there. No glycine trace was discovered near the poles.
According to the researchers, this discovery of Glycine in The Venusian atmosphere could be a key piece in understanding formative mechanisms of the pre-biotic molecule on Venus.
Prebiotics are compounds that are inducive of growth or activity in many microorganisms on Earth.
“The upper atmosphere of Venus may be going through nearly the same biological method as Earth billions of years ago,” one of the authors said.
As for the life forms on Earth, around 500 amino-acids are known but only 20 form the basic codes for protein formation in the genetic code of all known animals and plants. Glycine is the simplest of these twenty life-forming compounds.
Venus has been a hot topic of discussion for alien life ever since traces of Phosphine were discovered on the planet. The same telescope used in this study, ALMA, was used in a study published in September where researchers confirmed there were Phosphine signatures on Venus’s upper atmosphere.
Also Read: Does Phosphine Mean Alien Life on Venus? Breaking Down the Science Behind Stunning Discovery
Phosphine is considered a sign of life as it is mostly produced by anaerobic respiring organisms. Though Venus is largely inhospitable now (due to hot temperature and highly acidic atmosphere), scientists believe it may have hosted life once. Studies like these can help create a clearer picture of our solar system millions of years ago.
