The Digital Press

A UK-led mission called VERVE will fly a small probe to Venus to investigate whether microbial life exists in its clouds, prompted by detections of gases like phosphine and ammonia that could indicate biology. The probe will join ESA's EnVision mission in 2031 to perform detailed atmospheric surveys of Venus’s potentially habitable cloud layers.

Why it matters: Confirming life on Venus would be a groundbreaking discovery, showing life can exist in extreme planetary environments.

The big picture: Venus’s surface is inhospitable, but its upper clouds have temperate conditions where extremophile microbes might survive.

The stakes: Previous phosphine detections were controversial and inconsistent, so direct atmospheric measurements are needed to resolve doubts.

Commenters say: Readers are intrigued but skeptical about the science focus versus more dramatic missions, and debate the origins and risks of potential Venusian microbes.