Scientists have discovered the simplest amino acid glycine on Venus, which may indicate that there is life on the planet. This was reported by Arijit Manna from Midnapur College in West Bengal in an article published on the arXiv portal.
“In astrophysics, chemical physics and biophysics, methods of synthesizing the simplest amino acid glycine from simple molecules are of great importance for chemical evolution and the origin of life,” the author of the study explained. According to him, the element was found with the help of the Atacama large antenna array. Thanks to the radio telescope, specialists noticed a characteristic glycine absorption line at a frequency of 261.87 GHz in the middle latitudes of the planet. This signal was most pronounced near the equator, while it was not detected at the poles.
Scientists believe that the discovery of glycine suggests that early life forms may exist in the atmosphere of Venus. Thus, this is the second sign of life on the planet found in recent years.
In mid-September, astronomers reported that mysterious traces of phosphine had been found in the upper atmosphere of Venus. This compound is a waste product of living organisms, and scientists are not yet aware of other sources of poisonous gas.
