Washington, Oct 12 : Venus and not Mars was the most likely planet in the solar system to have also developed life, a new study by a scientist from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science has revealed.

The cloud-shrouded planet most likely started with oceans much like Earth's, which evaporated as Venus heated up, David Grinspoon from the museum said at a meeting of planetary scientists at Orlando, Florida.

Grinspoon said preliminary results of new computer models had shown that Venus might have retained its oceans for a billion years after it formed, possibly longer.

The oceans didn't disappear overnight, the National Geographic quoted Grinspoon as saying.

Incidentally, prior models had indicated that rising Venusian temperatures turned the oceans to steam within the planet's first 600 million years.

Grinspoon said the extra 400 million years were even more significant than they sounded, because early Venus was constantly under bombardment of asteroids, reducing the likelihood of life.

He said the new finding suggested that the oceans existed for much longer after the asteroid bombardment tapered off.

“There may have been a sizeable interval when [Venus] was habitable. Today, however, Venus is about 100,000 times drier than Earth and is 860º F (460º C) at its surface,” he said.

He said future studies could further refine the understanding as to how long the planet was habitable.

If samples can be collected from the surface, for example, scientists might find rocks that formed when the planet was wet. Determining how much water remains locked in these rocks may allow scientists to figure out how long ago the planet dried out, Grinspoon said.

Similarly, studies of Venusian gases could help scientists better estimate the rate at which water was lost into space, he added. (ANI)