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Discover the mysteries of Mars and Venus, as we investigate the potential for liquid water on Mars and the missed opportunity for life on Venus. Join us on a journey through our neighboring planets to uncover the secrets of potential life beyond Earth.
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00:00Recently, scientists have made an astounding discovery that can change the entire course of Mars exploration.
00:07Apparently, there are oceans of liquid water on the Red Planet.
00:11So, the future looks bright.
00:13We could use this water to support future missions, and then even relocate to Mars,
00:18since we wouldn't need to worry about where to get this precious liquid, right?
00:22Well, there's one big problem.
00:25These oceans of liquid water are in Mars, so deep inside that we aren't likely to get there.
00:31At least, that's what a new analysis of seismic data collected by the Mars Insight Lander claims.
00:37Huge reserves of liquid water seem to be the best explanation for some seismic quirks of the Red Planet.
00:44So, all this precious water is out of our reach.
00:47But we need to find it to solve the puzzle of the aquatic history of our blushing, dusty neighbor.
00:53And the first thing we need to do is identify where the water is and how much of it the
00:59planet is hiding.
01:01Navigation has confirmed that the parachute has deployed, and we're seeing significant deceleration.
01:06Now, our rovers are scurrying about on the surface of the Red Planet,
01:10gathering all the available data on the planet's surface geology.
01:14And it's getting increasingly obvious that Mars was once covered with water.
01:19Many factors, from Martian terrains to ancient dry lake beds and deltas,
01:24suggest that there was a time when the planet was quite soppy.
01:28These days, there's still some water on and right below the surface of Mars.
01:33But it's in the form of ice, and nowhere near what Mars had in the ancient past.
01:38To understand how much of it could have been on the Red Planet billions of years ago,
01:42we must know where all this water went.
01:46There are two spots where the water could have gone – into space or toward the interior of Mars.
01:53Then it could have been isolated, as either liquid reservoirs or ice deposits.
01:58Currently, we don't have any way of measuring how much water once leaked away.
02:03But now, we finally can find out more about the gooey center of the Red Planet.
02:08All thanks to the Mars InSight lander.
02:11It isn't operating anymore.
02:13But from November 2018 to December 2022,
02:17it was listening to the hums and rumbles and monitoring the activity below its feet.
02:26The thing is, acoustic waves generated by seismic activity deep inside the planet
02:32can change according to the composition and density of the material these waves are moving through.
02:38And scientists can get a lot of information analyzing the behavior of seismic waves.
02:43In this case, they used a model similar to those used to map underground oil fields and aquifers on our
02:50home planet.
02:51Then, with the help of this model, they analyzed the data gathered by InSight on Mars.
02:56They discovered that the best explanation could be that there was a layer of fractured rocks
03:02whose cracks were filled with water deep under the surface of the Red Planet.
03:07That layer could be at a depth of 7 to 12 miles.
03:10That's why it would be extremely tricky for future missions to get to it.
03:15And still, the new discovery could help us understand the Martian water cycle.
03:20Confirming the existence of a large reservoir of liquid water
03:23can help us sneak a peek at what the climate on Mars used to be
03:27or what it could be like one day.
03:31And if once, Mars had a lot of water.
03:34It could have been habitable in the ancient past and might become habitable in the future.
03:39Water is crucial for life as we know it.
03:42So, underground water reservoirs on the Red Planet could already be habitable.
03:47Maybe, while we're talking, tiny microorganisms
03:51or even some tentacled creatures are living their lives in the comfort of their underground home.
03:57On Earth, super deep mines do host life.
04:00And the bottom of the ocean, with its immense unbelievable pressures, isn't lifeless either.
04:06So far, we haven't found any evidence of life on Mars.
04:09But for now, it sounds like this place has the potential to sustain life.
04:15InSight data has shown that there isn't likely to be a lot of water ice
04:20in the upper crust of the planet, at least in the region around the lander.
04:24But if it turns out that there is a water-rich layer deep below the surface
04:29and stretching around the entire globe of the planet,
04:32then there would be enough water to fill ancient ocean beds and even more.
04:38Now, Mars isn't the only place outside Earth where there is water
04:42or where we might one day find water.
04:45Take the good old Moon, for example.
04:47On Earth's natural satellite, water can be found all over the surface.
04:51But it's not the water you might be imagining.
04:54On the Moon, water remains mostly as ice and is distributed unevenly.
04:59For example, the poles of the Moon are the regions that never receive sunlight.
05:04This is the reason they're extremely cold.
05:07And it's no wonder there's a lot of ice there.
05:10The ice in these areas is often mixed with the lunar soil
05:13and hiding deep below the surface.
05:15Then there's Enceladus, the sixth-largest Moon of Saturn.
05:19In reality, it's not that large, just 314 miles across.
05:24In other words, this Moon is small enough to fit inside Arizona.
05:28Ooh, we should try that.
05:30Well, interestingly, when the Cassini space probe first arrived
05:34at Saturn, researchers were expecting Enceladus to be a frozen ball of ice.
05:38But what they saw was plumes of icy particles and water vapor
05:43erupting from geysers on the Moon's surface.
05:45It was clear that there was a massive ocean
05:48between the Moon's rocky core and its icy shell.
05:52Then there's Jupiter's Moon Europa.
05:56Scientists think that this world is one of the most promising places
05:59in the solar system when it comes to searching for new life forms.
06:03That's because Europa has a huge saltwater ocean as deep as 40 to 100 miles.
06:09And even though it's under a layer of ice that is likely to be 10 to 20 miles thick,
06:14it's still potentially habitable.
06:17Astronomers believe that plumes of water might erupt from cracks in the ice shell
06:21and release the contents of the Moon's ocean into space.
06:25The temperature, pressure, and chemistry are very different on Europa.
06:29And astronomers aren't sure yet how the ice behaves there.
06:33That's the main reason they haven't figured out yet
06:36how deep or large the water reservoirs on Europa are
06:39and how long they need to refreeze.
06:42But out of all the places where we could find water in the universe,
06:46the most bizarre is probably open space.
06:50In 2011, two teams of astronomers discovered a cloud of water
06:55floating freely among stars.
06:57It was the largest and farthest reservoir of water ever detected.
07:01So this massive cloud of water vapor surrounds a black hole.
07:05But not just any black hole.
07:07This one's a quasar, located 12 billion light-years from Earth.
07:12The conditions around this quasar must be really special
07:15to create such an enormous amount of water.
07:18This cloud contains 140 trillion times the volume of all the water on Earth.
07:24That's enough to give every person on the planet
07:26a whole planet's worth of water 20,000 times over.
07:30Sounds wild, doesn't it?
07:32But there's something even cooler.
07:34Astronomers think this water cloud formed just 1.6 billion years
07:38after the universe began.
07:40This discovery is yet another sign
07:42that water has been around all over the universe,
07:45even in its early days.
07:47But here's the kicker.
07:49Until they found this,
07:51scientists had never detected water vapor so far back in time.
07:55Sure, there's water in our Milky Way galaxy,
07:57but most of it's frozen solid in ice.
08:00This discovery really pushes the boundaries
08:03of what we know about water in the universe.
08:07What if I told you that humans could have evolved
08:09on a planet other than Earth?
08:11And we're not talking about Mars here.
08:13This planet is Venus,
08:14one of the most toxic and dangerous places in our solar system.
08:18But imagine this.
08:20Once upon a time,
08:21Venus was a happening place for potential life.
08:25And maybe, just maybe,
08:27life was there.
08:29How is that possible?
08:31And what happened?
08:33Let's figure it out.
08:34Picture this.
08:36A planet swathed in clouds
08:37and named after a deity of love and beauty,
08:39Aphrodite.
08:40Sounds enchanting, right?
08:42But don't be fooled.
08:44Venus, our neighbor,
08:45is the second planet from the sun,
08:47and it's no picnic.
08:48Its surface is hot enough to melt lead,
08:50and the atmosphere is so thick
08:51that the sun is just a blurry smudge.
08:54As you get closer to it,
08:55things turn from dreamy
08:57to downright hellish.
08:58About 30 miles up in the atmosphere,
09:00temperatures range from 86 to 158 degrees Fahrenheit.
09:04And this is just the beginning.
09:06To survive on Venus,
09:08you'd need super-duper insulation
09:10because temperatures can reach
09:11a sizzling 900 degrees Fahrenheit.
09:14Plus, the weight of the atmosphere
09:16would bear down on you
09:18like being submerged deep in the ocean.
09:21The atmosphere is mostly made of carbon dioxide,
09:23and down at the surface,
09:25it behaves in a corrosive way
09:26due to the intense heat and pressure.
09:28The sky is sulfur yellow,
09:30and the clouds are composed of sulfuric acid.
09:32The surface is filled with active volcanoes
09:35and craters.
09:36Yikes!
09:36It's like the environment itself turns against you.
09:39Venus is often referred to as the Earth's twin.
09:42That's because Venus is almost as big as Earth,
09:45just a tad smaller,
09:46and these two planets look quite similar on the inside.
09:49But in reality,
09:51Venus is more like Earth's opposite than its twin.
09:53It spins in the opposite direction,
09:55has longer days than years,
09:57and has no seasons to speak of,
09:59not even mentioning its crazy weather conditions.
10:02But believe it or not,
10:04it wasn't always this way.
10:06A long time ago,
10:07around 3 billion years after it was born,
10:10Venus might have been a watery wonderland
10:12like our beloved Earth.
10:13It had a cozy climate,
10:15and researchers think there was even enough time
10:17for life to emerge.
10:19But how do we know that?
10:20Back in 1978,
10:22NASA's Pioneer Venus spacecraft
10:24discovered hints
10:25that Venus might have had oceans on its surface.
10:28Since then,
10:29scientists have sent more missions
10:31to explore the planet,
10:32and they've learned some fascinating things
10:34about its past.
10:36NASA researchers have come up
10:37with five cool simulations
10:39to show what Venus was like
10:40with different amounts of water
10:41covering its surface.
10:43To create these simulations,
10:45scientists used a fancy 3D model
10:47that takes into account
10:48the gases in Venus's atmosphere
10:50billions of years ago
10:51and how they are now.
10:52They also considered
10:54how the sun's radiation
10:54has changed over time,
10:56getting warmer as it ages.
10:58And it turns out
10:59that Venus used to be a lot like Earth.
11:01All simulations suggest
11:03that Venus could have had stable temperatures,
11:05ranging from a comfy 68 degrees Fahrenheit
11:07to a toasty 122 degrees Fahrenheit.
11:11In some of the simulations,
11:12Venus had a similar landscape
11:14to what it has now,
11:15with a shallow ocean
11:16and some water trapped in the soil.
11:18In others,
11:19they imagined Venus having a deep ocean
11:21or even the entire surface
11:22covered in water.
11:24Surprisingly,
11:25in all these scenarios,
11:26Venus could have maintained
11:27temperatures suitable for liquid water.
11:29Now,
11:30imagine a parallel universe
11:31where Venus stayed this way.
11:33What if things turned out differently
11:35and it was still as cozy as Earth?
11:37It could have been
11:38the perfect place for humans.
11:40Its oceans would have provided
11:42a nurturing environment
11:43for life to flourish and evolve.
11:44The temperatures would have been
11:46like a perpetual springtime picnic.
11:49Can you imagine lounging
11:50under a Venusian palm tree,
11:52sipping Venusian lemonade?
11:54Ah,
11:54the good life.
11:56Also,
11:57Venus had a slow rotation
11:58compared to Earth.
11:59Days would have stretched out,
12:01giving us more time
12:02to enjoy life's simple pleasures.
12:04Instead of 24 hours,
12:05a Venusian day
12:06might have lasted for months.
12:08You could have taken
12:08an extended vacation
12:10and still had time
12:10for a full makeover.
12:12And what about
12:13the higher atmospheric pressure?
12:16It may sound intimidating,
12:18but it could have actually
12:19worked in our favor.
12:20The higher pressure
12:21would have provided
12:22a cozy and snug environment,
12:24like being wrapped
12:25in a warm,
12:26fluffy blanket.
12:27No need to worry
12:28about the chilly winds
12:29of other planets.
12:30Venus would have had us covered.
12:32Oh,
12:33and remember
12:33the acidic atmosphere?
12:35It may sound strange,
12:36but it would have had
12:37its benefits too.
12:39Venus would have been
12:40a carbon dioxide-loving paradise.
12:42Plant life would have thrived,
12:44creating lush landscapes
12:46and filling the air
12:47with fresh oxygen.
12:48So in this scenario,
12:50Venus could have been
12:50our haven among the stars.
12:52So what happened?
12:53What has ruined Venus?
12:55Unfortunately,
12:56everything changed
12:56about 700 million years ago.
12:58There was a huge event
13:00that caused Venus
13:01to change completely,
13:02turning it into
13:03the hostile place
13:04it is today.
13:05It experienced
13:06a runaway greenhouse effect,
13:07which made its atmosphere
13:09super thick
13:09and scorching hot.
13:11A runaway greenhouse effect
13:12sucked all the water
13:13into space,
13:14leaving behind
13:15a scorching surface
13:16of volcanic rock
13:17with thick,
13:18crushing atmosphere
13:19and acid clouds.
13:21Yikes.
13:22So what caused
13:23this catastrophic transformation?
13:26Well,
13:26our experts believe
13:27it may have been due
13:28to volcanic activity.
13:29When magma and molten rock
13:31reached the surface,
13:32they released a bunch
13:33of carbon dioxide
13:34into the atmosphere.
13:35If the magma cooled
13:37before reaching the surface,
13:38it created a barrier
13:39that prevented the gas
13:40from being reabsorbed.
13:42Massive amounts of gas
13:43were released
13:44into the atmosphere.
13:46Something similar
13:47happened on Earth
13:47with the Siberian traps,
13:49which caused
13:49a mass extinction.
13:51Venus had its own
13:52mega transformation.
13:53So, unfortunately,
13:55this catastrophe
13:56changed the history
13:57of our solar system
13:58once and forever.
13:59But here's
14:00the fascinating part.
14:01This little mysterious planet
14:03still could teach us
14:04a lot about
14:04the origins of life.
14:06For example,
14:07if Venus was once habitable,
14:09it opens up
14:10exciting possibilities
14:11for exoplanets
14:12in the Venus zone
14:13of other star systems.
14:14Maybe they could
14:15support life too.
14:16There's also a critical question
14:18that scientists ponder.
14:20How do these
14:21life-friendly worlds
14:22come into existence?
14:23Early on,
14:25Venus and Earth
14:25were strikingly similar.
14:27They were close in size,
14:28had similar structures inside,
14:30and even had oceans
14:31in their youthful days.
14:33But one planet
14:34turned into a scorching inferno,
14:36while the other
14:36became a thriving hub
14:37for abundant life.
14:39Why is that?
14:40And finally,
14:41believe it or not,
14:42we can't completely
14:43rule out the possibility
14:44of life on Venus
14:45even now.
14:46Up high in the thick
14:47yellow clouds
14:48where the temperature,
14:49air pressure,
14:50and chemistry
14:50are friendlier,
14:51there might be a chance.
14:53That's a range
14:53where earthly life,
14:54like tough extremophile microbes,
14:56could potentially survive.
14:58The atmospheric pressure
14:59up there is similar
15:00to what we experience
15:01on Earth's surface.
15:02We've even noticed
15:03strange dark patches
15:04in its atmosphere
15:05that come and go.
15:06Dark streaks persist,
15:08defying hurricane-force winds
15:10and absorbing
15:10ultraviolet radiation.
15:12Scientists are scratching
15:13their heads
15:14over these
15:14persistent streaks.
15:16They suspect
15:17they could be made
15:17of fine particles
15:18or ice crystals.
15:20But here's where
15:21it gets wild.
15:22Astrobiologists
15:23consider another option.
15:25Could these streaks
15:26be made up
15:27of Venus-style
15:28microbial life?
15:29They theorize
15:30that ring-shaped
15:31sulfur compounds
15:32in Venus's atmosphere
15:33could act as a
15:34protective coating
15:34for the microbes.
15:35Wouldn't that be amazing?
15:37That's why,
15:38by studying why Venus
15:39went down a different path
15:40in terms of habitability,
15:42we can unlock
15:43the secrets
15:43of what makes
15:44other worlds
15:44just right for life.
15:46However,
15:47there are still
15:47mysteries to solve.
15:48We need more missions
15:49to study Venus
15:50and understand
15:51its history better.
15:52For example,
15:53learn how quickly
15:54it cooled down
15:55after its formation.
15:56We also want
15:57to figure out
15:57if the transformation
15:58was a one-time
15:59cataclysm
16:00or a series of events
16:02over billions of years.
16:03Nonetheless,
16:04we can still dream
16:05of the Venus
16:06that could have been.
16:07A paradise
16:08where humans
16:09and Venusians
16:10could have lived
16:10side by side.
16:11So keep your eyes
16:13on Venus.
16:14It's a wild planet
16:15with a captivating history.
16:17Who knows
16:18what other surprises
16:19it has in store for us.
16:20Let's keep exploring
16:21and reaching for the stars.
16:22Let's keep exploring.
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