No life on “Earth’s evil twin”

Scientists have long debated whether the planet Venus could ever have supported life. Now, a study of its atmosphere suggests it probably couldn’t. Venus is sometimes referred to as “Earth’s evil twin”. The two planets are similar in size and are made of the same materials but up close, Venus’s “evil” side is revealed. The planet is covered with thick clouds of acid and has an average surface temperature of nearly 500°C. Plenty of spacecraft have been sent to study the planet, including Venus Express (see panel) but it is still a mystery. Some scientists thought it might have had oceans on its surface. This is important because liquid water is generally accepted as essential to the development of life (or, at least, the kind of life we know about).…

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The Week Junior (UK) (Digital) - 1 Issue, 470

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