💬 Quoted: “The chances that what we’re seeing are actually signs of life are probably between 10%-20% at this point."

• In 2020, a team of scientists revealed an unexpected discovery in the clouds of Venus: traces of phosphine, a “biosignature” gas that on Earth signifies the presence of life. But the team’s research proved controversial among the scientific community, with many experts disputing the findings after subsequent observations failed to match the original results. Now, the same team behind the initial discovery has come back with more data, which they say contains even stronger proof that phosphine is present in the clouds of Venus alongside ammonia, another “biosignature” gas. The researchers say none of the normal chemical processes on Venus they’re aware of could produce the amounts of phosphine and ammonia observed, but further study is needed to rule out that possibility.

🥇 Stat of the Day: Unlike the Hunger Games, winning an Olympic medal doesn’t necessarily set an athlete up for life – as there isn’t any official prize money involved. However, some countries award separate cash bonuses to their decorated athletes, with at least seven nations offering six-figure payouts for winning a gold, per data collected by CNBC. Hong Kong and Singapore lead the pack in terms of highest payouts, at ~$750,000 per gold medal, while the US ranks 10th out of 14 countries at $38,000 per gold, $23,000 per silver, and $15,000 per bronze.

🤔 Did You Know? Due to their size and weight, squirrels can theoretically survive a fall from any height on Earth, since their maximum achievable velocity is slow enough that they won’t fatally injure themselves.

📰 Worth a Read: The Companies Realizing Theranos’s Failed Dream → (WSJ)