I love Carl Sagan.
"Venus was evidently covered by a dense layer of obscuring cloud. When we look at the planet in the morning or evening skies, we are seeing sunlight reflected off the clouds of Venus. But for centuries after their discovery, the composition of those clouds remained entirely unknown.
The absence of anything to see on Venus led some scientists to the curious conclusion that the surface was a swamp, like the Earth in the Carboniferous Period. The argument-- if we can dignify it by such a word-- went something like this:
'I can't see a thing on Venus.'
'Why not?'
'Because it's totally covered with clouds.'
'What are clouds made of?'
'Water, of course.'
'Then why are the clouds of Venus thicker than the clouds on Earth?'
'Because there's more water there.'
'But if there is more water in the clouds, there must be more water on the surface. What kind of surfaces are very wet?'
'Swamps.'
"And if there are swamps, why not cyacades and dragonflies and perhaps even dinosaurs on Venus? Observation: There was absolutely nothing to see on Venus. Conclusion: It must be covered with life."
[-Cosmos, 1980]
The absence of anything to see on Venus led some scientists to the curious conclusion that the surface was a swamp, like the Earth in the Carboniferous Period. The argument-- if we can dignify it by such a word-- went something like this:
'I can't see a thing on Venus.'
'Why not?'
'Because it's totally covered with clouds.'
'What are clouds made of?'
'Water, of course.'
'Then why are the clouds of Venus thicker than the clouds on Earth?'
'Because there's more water there.'
'But if there is more water in the clouds, there must be more water on the surface. What kind of surfaces are very wet?'
'Swamps.'
"And if there are swamps, why not cyacades and dragonflies and perhaps even dinosaurs on Venus? Observation: There was absolutely nothing to see on Venus. Conclusion: It must be covered with life."
[-Cosmos, 1980]