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Alien life forms nurtured by acid-neutralising chemical reactions could exist in the clouds of Venus, scientists say.

The planet – 47 million kilometres from Earth – may be more habitable for life because of the presence of ammonia, a new study suggests.

Scientists have long been puzzled by the detection of ammonia – a compound of hydrogen and nitrogen – in the atmosphere of Venus.

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The gas was first detected in the 1970s and by all theories should not be produced through any chemical process known on the planet.

While Venus is Earth's closest planetary neighbour, its harsh environment makes human life impossible.

Droplets of sulfuric acid – strong enough to burn holes in your skin – fall from the planet's clouds.

But a new study by researchers from Cardiff University and Cambridge University in the UK and the US Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggests if ammonia is present, it would trigger chemical reactions that could support life in the Venus environment.

The scientists modelled a set of chemical processes to show that ammonia would set off a cascade of chemical reactions that would neutralise surrounding droplets of sulfuric acid.

If this occurred, it would increase the pH of the clouds from roughly -11 to 0.

While still very acidic, this would be within the range of acidity that life could tolerate.

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The researchers noted that there are lifeforms on Earth that produce ammonia to neutralise and make livable an otherwise highly acidic environment.

"We know that life can grow in acid environments on Earth, but nothing as acid as the clouds of Venus were believed to be," co-author of the study William Bains, from Cardiff University, said.

"But if something is making ammonia in the clouds, then that will neutralise some of the droplets, making them potentially more habitable."

The scientists suggest that that the most plausible explanation of the presence of ammonia on Venus is that it is of biological origin, rather than a nonbiological source such as lightning or volcanic eruptions.

The study is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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It's been just over a year since Peter Black's "bubbly and cheeky" three-year-old daughter Rylee died.

Rylee was left for hours, allegedly forgotten in the backseat of her mother's car as the temperature climbed above 30 degrees in Townsville, northern Queensland, last November.

Inside the car, the temperature would have been closer to 50-60 degrees.

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"I still have nightmares about it," Mr Black said.

"Just thinking about what my little girl went through, it's horrifying.

"She was such a cheeky kid, always getting up to mischief, but she loved nothing more than snuggling up for a cuddle and a kiss."

Rylee's mother and her partner have been charged with manslaughter over her death and the court case is ongoing.

Police allege Laura Peverill and her boyfriend Aaron Hill left Rylee in the car after returning home at 9am from a school drop-off.

Rylee was not discovered in the car until around 3pm at school pick-up time.

Her mother rushed her to hospital but it was too late to save her.

Mr Black told 9news.com.au he was feeling "angry and bitter" after Rylee died, but soon realised he needed to do something to channel his grief into something positive and prevent other children from suffering a similar fate.

Every year in Australia, over 5000 children are rescued after being left unattended in a car, according to Kidsafe Australia.

Over the past five years, 10 children are reported to have died after being left in hot cars in Australia, with half of the deaths taking place in Queensland, Kidsafe Australia says.

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Mr Black is now campaigning for child detection technology to be made mandatory for all new cars sold in Australia.

Child detection technology uses in-car motion sensors or cameras to alert drivers if a child has been left in a car.

"As soon as I started looking into this, I realised that this technology is already available and we can actually do something about it," Mr Black said.

"Every new vehicle in Australia needs to have a child detection system.

"What I am asking is for manufacturers to do this while the car is being built so the cost is minimal and the installation is done to a standard so that every car has the same or very similar systems."

Mr Black has started a parliamentary petition calling on the Federal Government to legislate the change, which has so far attracted more than 1300 signatures.

A spokesperson for Federal Transport Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said the government was currently considering such a move to make child detection technology compulsory for new cars.

"Losing a child is something no parent should have to experience," Mr Joyce's spokesperson said.

"The Government is currently participating in discussions around mandating child detection technology in vehicles in Australia, to prevent similar tragedies from happening.

"We are constantly adopting new vehicle technologies to reduce accidents in cars and on our roads.

"This includes advanced emergency braking systems for new cars and technology that prevents cars from crossing lanes."

Meanwhile, from 2023, new cars in Australia will need to have child detection technology installed in order to get the highest safety rating.

The nation's car safety rating body ANCAP (Australasia New Car Assessment Program), had originally planned to make the inclusion a requirement for five-star rated vehicles from next year, however the change was delayed by a year.

Some new vehicles, such as Hyundai's Santa Fe, already have the technology.

Its "rear occupant alert" uses sensors in the roof to detect any movements, which trigger an alarm if the driver has left and the vehicle is locked.

While Mr Black applauded ANCAP's changes to its rating system, he said the technology needed to be implemented in new vehicles across the board, not just in Australia's safest cars.

"I want people who can't afford to go and buy a car with five-star ANCAP rating to also be covered, they need to be able to go and buy the cheapest import and it will be included," he said.

"Because this is something that doesn't discriminate – it can happen to someone living in Potts Point, Sydney, or it can happen to someone living in Alice Springs."

Mr Black said people overwhelming believed this was a tragedy that would never happen to them.

"I never thought it would happen to me either. My little girl wasn't in my custody that day and here I am, it has happened to me," Mr Black said.

"You are not the only one that cares for your child," he said, pointing to the case of three-year-old Cairns boy Malik Nicholas Floyd Namok-Malamoo, who died after he was left on a bus belonging to his childcare centre in February last year.

"It could also be a grandparent who is getting a little bit forgetful, or it could be your partner or your ex-partner," he added.

"There are so many variables out there. We just need to take the human element out of it and put a control in place that is simple and easy.

"We need to stand up and say enough is enough and we are going to do something about it."

Contact reporter Emily McPherson at em********@******om.au.

A centuries-old pub on a tiny island off the coast of the UK is looking for a new manager – and it comes with a crown.

The Ship Inn on Piel Island has been standing for at least 300 years, according to the local borough's website.

Its manager, who holds other unique responsibilities, has for centuries been crowned the "King of Piel" in a ceremony of uncertain origin, "in which they sit in an ancient chair, wearing a helmet and holding a sword while alcohol is poured over their head", the site states.

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Looking after the sword and helmet are part of the inn manager's duties.

The island can also boast of the "Knights of Piel", who are apparently anointed in similar fashion.

In somewhat retrograde language, the "aristocracy" of the island were historically expected to be "a free drinker and smoker and lover of the female sex" – though in more recent decades, women have also been "crowned".

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And now, the council is looking for somebody to fill the role, the BBC has reported.

However, while the job might sound fun, it takes a particular type to enjoy it, with high levels of commitment required – and a lot of isolation to endure.

Ferry services keep the 50-acre island in touch with the mainland, with tourists coming not just for the pub, but also to survey the older ruins of a castle and an abbey there.

Despite stringent measures supposed to keep ocean cruises COVID-free, operator Royal Caribbean says at least 48 people on board one of its ships that docked in Miami at the weekend have tested positive for the virus.

The Symphony of the Seas, the world's biggest cruise ship, was carrying more than 6000 passengers and crew on a week-long journey around the Caribbean when a guest tested positive, prompting wider contact tracing, according to Royal Caribbean.

Cruise ships had been touted as one of the "safest" vacations available back in summer 2021 when the cruise industry restarted in the US with new COVID protocols, following an extensive pandemic shutdown.

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The Symphony of the Seas was carrying 6091 passengers and crew members.

In a statement, Royal Caribbean said that a guest tested positive during the voyage, and subsequent cases were detected following contact tracing.

It said 95 per cent on board were fully vaccinated.

Of the people who've since tested positive, 98 per cent were fully vaccinated.

The total number of cases amounted to 0.78 per cent of the on board population.

It's not yet known whether the highly infectious Omicron variant of coronavirus, currently spreading rapidly around the world, was responsible for the cases detected.

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Royal Caribbean rules dictate that all travellers on board a ship aged 12 and above must be fully vaccinated, and test negative before departure.

The cruise line says it "strongly recommends" guests receive a booster dose prior to sailing, but this is not currently mandated.

Crew members are also required to be fully vaccinated and test "at least once a week."

Unvaccinated children on board Symphony of the Seas were required to show a negative PCR, and also test negative at the terminal pre-departure.

'Mild symptoms'

Royal Caribbean says it also implements additional health and safety measures, such as enhanced cleaning.

On US-based cruises, masks are now required to be worn in indoor public areas – this policy was recently updated to extend mask-wearing requirements for fully vaccinated passengers.

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"Each person quickly went into quarantine," reads a Royal Caribbean statement on the Symphony of the Seas outbreak.

"Everyone who tested positive were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms, and we continuously monitored their health."

Symphony of the Seas departed from Miami, Florida on December 11, stopping at Caribbean ports St Maarten and St Thomas, as well as Royal Caribbean's private island, called CocoCay.

The cruise line says in its statement that it disembarked six positive cases earlier in the cruise, while the other positive travellers disembarked on December 18, when the voyage came to an end.

The cruise line added that Symphony of the Seas' future voyages weren't impacted.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the industry body that represents the world's major cruise lines, said in a statement provided to CNN Travel that it was "monitoring developments related to the Omicron variant and remain closely engaged with local and national authorities in the places where cruises sail."

CLIA said that on board protocols like testing, vaccination and mask-wearing "were designed with variants in mind."

The association added that its member cruise lines will continue to take a "proactive approach" to responding to the pandemic as it develops.

Earlier in December, a spate of positive COVID cases were reported on board Norwegian Cruise Line ship Breakaway, which was travelling out of New Orleans.