Workshop “Roadmap to the Exploration of Venus Habitability”: an overview in this video

14.04.2026

On 9–13 February 2026, scientists gathered at the Lorentz Centre in Leiden, the Netherlands, to explore past and present conditions for habitability on Venus. The workshop assessed the current state of knowledge on the coevolution of the planet’s surface, interior, and atmosphere, and evaluated how planned and proposed future missions could address key questions about its potential to support life.

Barbara de Toffoli, planetary geologist at the Department of Geosciences of the University of Padova, was among the members of the organizing committee.

The workshop brought together experts from a wide range of disciplines to address a central question: was Venus ever habitable? In other words, did the planet once sustain conditions suitable for life for a significant period before evolving into the hostile environment we observe today?

Findings from geodynamics, atmospheric science, planetary geology, and astrobiology were integrated to build a comprehensive framework for understanding Venus’ evolution. This multidisciplinary approach combines recent data on the planet’s surface, interior, and atmosphere to shed light on how these systems co-evolved and shaped its habitability.

An overview of the workshop objectives and discussions is presented in the video below. The results are currently being prepared for submission as a peer-reviewed journal article

Credit: This video was produced by Lightcurve Films for the Lorentz Centre "Roadmap to the Exploration of Venus Habitability" workshop, 9-13 February 2026. The video production was funded by the European Astrobiology Institute