Venus wasnt always hell, scientists say. It may have had beaches.

It's possible that Venus and Earth once simultaneously existed as pleasant worlds hosting mild temperatures and oceans.

Then, something went awry.

In new research, planetary scientists simulated how Venusian conditions today — with pizza oven-like temperatures, a crushing atmosphere, and past evidence of widespread volcanism — came to be. The results suggest that Venus, over a series of massive volcanic outgassing events and other geologic changes, transitioned from an Earth-like world to the hellish land we see today.