August 2020, ScientificAmerican.com 15true that one day we’ll touch down and
find fossils from a shallow sea of a Venusian
ecosystem.” He notes, however, that there
is no direct evidence to support this notion.
The authors argue that large-scale vol-
canism would have continued to pave
much of the planet in volcanic rock, a state
visible today. But Vicki Hansen, a geologist
at the University of Minnesota Duluth,
who was not involved in the study, says
measurements from the Magellan space-
craft, which orbited Venus in the early
1990s, do not support a resurfacing from
one catastrophic event: “If you look at the
data, it flies in the face of all that,” she says.
According to her team’s analysis, “We can
identify three distinct eras in the evolution
of Venus; if you have catastrophic resurfac-
ing, that doesn’t work, because [it] would
wipe out all earlier histories.”
There is no question that the issue is
contentious. Indeed, a number of scientists
still argue that Venus was never fit for life.
To find out, researchers will need topeer more closely at our neighbor. “We
could do models until the cows come
home; that doesn’t make anything right,”
Hansen says. “We have to test what the
results of those models are.”
Byrne says we should send a fleet of
spacecraft to Venus, including orbiters,
landers, balloons, aerial platforms and
even blimps. The planet’s atmosphere
holds clues about how much water has
been lost, and the surface could reveal
whether and when volcanic eruptions
punctured it. Future missions could help
settle the debate about whether or not
Venus was ever hospitable to life and could
push astronomers to expand their search
for livable planets across the galaxy.
“If this scenario is correct, it says Venus-
like planets actually have the potential for
life, so we shouldn’t ignore them,” says
Adrian Lenardic, a geophysicist at Rice
University, who was also not involved in
the research. “We should look there.”
— Shannon HallThis study could provide the first in a
series of data points needed to understand
the extent of tsunami risk along East Afri-
ca’s vast coastline of unmapped seafloors
and buried sand layers. And it matches evi-
dence elsewhere: on the other side of theIndian Ocean, researchers have spotted
similar tsunami deposits thousands of years
old in many of the coastal areas that suf-
fered the heaviest casualties from the 2004
event. “Perhaps the most interesting part
[of this study] is that it correlates well with
what some of my colleagues had done on
the eastern coast of India,” says Emile Okal,
a seismologist at Northwestern University,
who was not involved in the new research.
“From a geologic standpoint, I think this is
a very nice contribution.”
Although more work is needed to fully
understand the area’s risk, the researchers
say their study identifies a very real natural
hazard for developers to consider in this
rapidly urbanizing region. “To me, the
takeaway is for long-term infrastructure
projects,” says Andrew Moore, a study co-
author and a geologist at Earlham College.
“This is a call to arms to go look” for tsu-
nami deposits elsewhere.
Additional research can help future
East African megacities mitigate risk,
Maselli says: “For the moment our knowl-
edge is just one point for the entire African
continent. Our claim is, ‘Look, we found
something ... let’s go back to East Africa
and learn more.’” — Christian FogertyAugust 2020, ScientificAmerican.com 15true that one day we’ll touch down and
find fossils from a shallow sea of a Venusian
ecosystem.” He notes, however, that there
is no direct evidence to support this notion.
The authors argue that large-scale vol-
canism would have continued to pave
much of the planet in volcanic rock, a state
visible today. But Vicki Hansen, a geologist
at the University of Minnesota Duluth,
who was not involved in the study, says
measurements from the Magellan space-
craft, which orbited Venus in the early
1990s, do not support a resurfacing from
one catastrophic event: “If you look at the
data, it flies in the face of all that,” she says.
According to her team’s analysis, “We can
identify three distinct eras in the evolution
of Venus; if you have catastrophic resurfac-
ing, that doesn’t work, because [it] would
wipe out all earlier histories.”
There is no question that the issue is
contentious. Indeed, a number of scientists
still argue that Venus was never fit for life.
To find out, researchers will need topeer more closely at our neighbor. “We
could do models until the cows come
home; that doesn’t make anything right,”
Hansen says. “We have to test what the
results of those models are.”
Byrne says we should send a fleet of
spacecraft to Venus, including orbiters,
landers, balloons, aerial platforms and
even blimps. The planet’s atmosphere
holds clues about how much water has
been lost, and the surface could reveal
whether and when volcanic eruptions
punctured it. Future missions could help
settle the debate about whether or not
Venus was ever hospitable to life and could
push astronomers to expand their search
for livable planets across the galaxy.
“If this scenario is correct, it says Venus-
like planets actually have the potential for
life, so we shouldn’t ignore them,” says
Adrian Lenardic, a geophysicist at Rice
University, who was also not involved in
the research. “We should look there.”
—Shannon HallThis study could provide the first in a
series of data points needed to understand
the extent of tsunami risk along East Afri-
ca’s vast coastline of unmapped seafloors
and buried sand layers. And it matches evi-
dence elsewhere: on the other side of theIndian Ocean, researchers have spotted
similar tsunami deposits thousands of years
old in many of the coastal areas that suf-
fered the heaviest casualties from the 2004
event. “Perhaps the most interesting part
[of this study] is that it correlates well with
what some of my colleagues had done on
the eastern coast of India,” says Emile Okal,
a seismologist at Northwestern University,
who was not involved in the new research.
“From a geologic standpoint, I think this is
a very nice contribution.”
Although more work is needed to fully
understand the area’s risk, the researchers
say their study identifies a very real natural
hazard for developers to consider in this
rapidly urbanizing region. “To me, the
takeaway is for long-term infrastructure
projects,” says Andrew Moore, a study co-
author and a geologist at Earlham College.
“This is a call to arms to go look” for tsu-
nami deposits elsewhere.
Additional research can help future
East African megacities mitigate risk,
Maselli says: “For the moment our knowl-
edge is just one point for the entire African
continent. Our claim is, ‘Look, we found
something ... let’s go back to East Africa
and learn more.’” —Christian Fogertytrue that one day we’ll touch down and
find fossils from a shallow sea of a Venusian
ecosystem.” He notes, however, that there
is no direct evidence to support this notion.
The authors argue that large-scale vol-
canism would have continued to pave
much of the planet in volcanic rock, a state
visible today. But Vicki Hansen, a geologist
at the University of Minnesota Duluth,
who was not involved in the study, says
measurements from the Magellan space-
craft, which orbited Venus in the early
1990s, do not support a resurfacing from
one catastrophic event: “If you look at the
data, it flies in the face of all that,” she says.
According to her team’s analysis, “We can
identify three distinct eras in the evolution
of Venus; if you have catastrophic resurfac-
ing, that doesn’t work, because [it] would
wipe out all earlier histories.”
There is no question that the issue is
contentious. Indeed, a number of scientists
still argue that Venus was never fit for life.
To find out, researchers will need topeer more closely at our neighbor. “We
could do models until the cows come
home; that doesn’t make anything right,”
Hansen says. “We have to test what the
results of those models are.”
Byrne says we should send a fleet of
spacecraft to Venus, including orbiters,
landers, balloons, aerial platforms and
even blimps. The planet’s atmosphere
holds clues about how much water has
been lost, and the surface could reveal
whether and when volcanic eruptions
punctured it. Future missions could help
settle the debate about whether or not
Venus was ever hospitable to life and could
push astronomers to expand their search
for livable planets across the galaxy.
“If this scenario is correct, it says Venus-
like planets actually have the potential for
life, so we shouldn’t ignore them,” says
Adrian Lenardic, a geophysicist at Rice
University, who was also not involved in
the research. “We should look there.”
—ShannonHallThis study could provide the first in a
series of data points needed to understand
the extent of tsunami risk along East Afri-
ca’s vast coastline of unmapped seafloors
and buried sand layers. And it matches evi-
dence elsewhere: on the other side of theIndian Ocean, researchers have spotted
similar tsunami deposits thousands of years
old in many of the coastal areas that suf-
fered the heaviest casualties from the 2004
event. “Perhaps the most interesting part
[of this study] is that it correlates well with
what some of my colleagues had done on
the eastern coast of India,” says Emile Okal,
a seismologist at Northwestern University,
who was not involved in the new research.
“From a geologic standpoint, I think this is
a very nice contribution.”
Although more work is needed to fully
understand the area’s risk, the researchers
say their study identifies a very real natural
hazard for developers to consider in this
rapidly urbanizing region. “To me, the
takeaway is for long-term infrastructure
projects,” says Andrew Moore, a study co-
author and a geologist at Earlham College.
“This is a call to arms to go look” for tsu-
nami deposits elsewhere.
Additional research can help future
East African megacities mitigate risk,
Maselli says: “For the moment our knowl-
edge is just one point for the entire African
continent. Our claim is, ‘Look, we found
something ... let’s go back to East Africa
and learn more.’” —ChristianFogertysad0820Adva3p.indd 15 6/17/20 5:10 PM
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