Volcanoes on Venus reveal the planet probably never had an ocean, dashing hopes for ancient life

Venus, the second planet from our Sun, vividly demonstrates why the greenhouse effect makes life impossible. With an average surface temperature of roughly 1000º F under a toxic atmosphere primarily composed of thick carbon dioxide, no lifeform known to inhabit our third planet from the Sun can dwell on its neighbor. Regular volcanic activity on the planet keeps the Venusian innards churning outward into the atmosphere, allowing astronomers to analyze their chemical composition for gases like carbon dioxide, carbonyl sulphide and — most importantly in terms of finding life — liquid water. "Even though it’s the closest planet to us, Venus is important for exoplanet science because it gives us a unique opportunity to explore a planet that evolved very differently to ours, right at the edge of the habitable zone," team leader Tereza Constantinou, a PhD student at Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy, said in a statement.