Further doubts about possible signs of life on Venus

By Abigail Beall

An artistic illustration of the atmosphere of Venus

MARK GARLICK / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

A new analysis has cast doubt on the latest phosphine gas signal in Venus' atmosphere, a finding that could possibly be a sign of life. The scientists who originally discovered this in September found that the amount of gas observed could not be generated by any known chemical processes on Venus.

Now a study suggests that the data behind the original paper shows no signs of the gas after all.

The original study, led by Jane Greaves of Cardiff University in the UK, looked at how light …