New Study Suggests It Was Always a Scorching Hellscape

For years, scientists believed that Venus—often called Earth’s twin—may have once had oceans before turning into the dry, hostile world we see today. But a new study published in Nature Astronomy challenges this idea, suggesting that Venus was never Earth-like at all. Instead, it was always a searing hot steam world with temperatures too high for liquid water to exist.

Venus: A World Too Hot for Oceans?

Researchers now propose that Venus never had oceans, but instead, its atmosphere was filled with steam from the start. The planet’s extreme heat—reaching a blistering 1,340°F (727°C)—meant that water could never condense into liquid form. Instead, water vapor remained in the atmosphere, where it slowly broke apart into hydrogen and oxygen due to sunlight. Over time, the light hydrogen escaped into space, leaving Venus with the dry, suffocating atmosphere we see today.

According to lead researcher Tereza Constantinou from the University of Cambridge, U.K., this means Venus was likely never habitable, unlike previous theories that suggested it once had Earth-like conditions.

What Does This Mean for Other Planets?

This discovery reshapes the way scientists search for habitable planets outside our solar system. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is currently studying Venus-like exoplanets, but if Venus was never habitable, then similar planets orbiting other stars are also unlikely to support life. Instead, scientists may need to focus their search on planets that more closely resemble Earth.

Upcoming Missions to Venus: Searching for Answers

To confirm whether Venus ever had water, two major space missions are set to launch in the early 2030s:

• ESA’s EnVision Mission: This European Space Agency mission will orbit Venus and study its atmosphere, surface, and geology for signs of past water.
• NASA’s DAVINCI Mission: This spacecraft will dive into Venus’ atmosphere, collecting data as it descends. Scientists hope this mission will reveal whether Venus was ever wet or habitable.

Could Life Still Exist in Venus’ Atmosphere?

Even if Venus’ surface has always been a fiery wasteland, some scientists believe life might still exist in the clouds. In 2020, researchers detected phosphine gas in Venus’ atmosphere—a potential sign of microbial life. However, this claim remains highly debated, and upcoming missions could help confirm or debunk it.

As Constantinou puts it, if life does exist on Venus, it would be very different from anything on Earth, possibly adapted to survive in clouds of sulfuric acid.

The Final Verdict

This new study forces us to rethink Venus’ history and raises new questions about where life could exist in the universe. While Venus itself may never have been habitable, the search for Earth-like worlds continues—and the answers could change how we understand our place in the cosmos.