Posted inAstrobiology Life Venus
Hypothesis: Venus clouds host a large biosphere
In our recent Astrobiology paper we presented a model in which Venus's unknown UV-blue absorber is consistent with a defined, very strong absorber at very high concentration in cloud aerosols. If that absorber is produced by life, the implied biosphere could be large enough to change the mass, chemistry, and physics of the cloud itself. Here I follow that premise through its consequences. Every major claim is phrased as something that can be tested. At this stage I would recommend to read the post as hard science fiction with numbers and interesting figures attached. However, the story fits the Venus observations, and generates explanations to a lot of yet unexplained mysteries.