Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
4th Edition
ISBN: 9780134089089
Author: Jeffrey O. Bennett, Seth Shostak
Publisher: PEARSON
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Chapter 7, Problem 5RQ
Summarize the three major environmental requirements for life. Overall, what “litmus test” seems appropriate for constraining our search for habitable worlds, and why?
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Which of the following is least reasonable regarding the concept of a habitable zone?
Group of answer choices
M-type stars have wider habitable zones than G-type stars.
It is a region around a star where liquid water could be found on a planet's surface.
The habitable zone of a less massive star would be closer to the star.
In the course of millions of years, our habitable zone will slowly shift from Earth to Mars.
The Galactic habitable zone cannot be too close to the Galactic center because the radiation from the bright stars and supernovae in the crowded inner part of the Galaxy would probably be detrimental to life.
A radio broadcast left Earth in 1911. How far in light years has it traveled?
If there is, on average, 1 star system per 400 cubic light years, how many star systems has this broadcast reached?
Assume that the fraction of these star systems that have planets is 0.50 and that, in a given planetary system, the average number of planets that have orbited in the habitable zone for 4 billion years is 0.20. How many possible planets with life could have heard this signal?
Chapter 7 Solutions
Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
Ch. 7 - Why do we expect the elements of life to be widely...Ch. 7 - How does the strength of sunlight vary with...Ch. 7 - Under what conditions does it seem reasonable to...Ch. 7 - Why is a liquid medium important for life? Why...Ch. 7 - Summarize the three major environmental...Ch. 7 - Why do the Moon and Mercury seem unlikely to be...Ch. 7 - Why is Venus so much hotter than Earth? How does...Ch. 7 - Why does Mars seem such a good candidate for life?Ch. 7 - Briefly discuss the possibility of life on Jupiter...Ch. 7 - With regard to habitability, how do the cases of...
Ch. 7 - What characteristics make some of the large moons...Ch. 7 - Briefly describe the prospects for habitability of...Ch. 7 - Describe and distinguish between space missions...Ch. 7 - For a few of the most important past, present, or...Ch. 7 - On the smallest moon of Uranus, my team discovered...Ch. 7 - New spacecraft images show lakes of liquid water...Ch. 7 - We are pumping water for our new Moon colony from...Ch. 7 - I was part of the first group of people to land on...Ch. 7 - We sent a robotic airplane into the atmosphere of...Ch. 7 - On a moon of Neptune, we discovered photosynthetic...Ch. 7 - We deposited bacteria (from Earth) that get energy...Ch. 7 - The drilled sample showed no signs of life on...Ch. 7 - We cut holes in the frozen surface of a methane...Ch. 7 - The drilled sample from Mars brought up rock that...Ch. 7 - Oxygen and carbon are (a) rarer than almost all...Ch. 7 - On an asteroid that is twice as far as Earth from...Ch. 7 - Compared to liquid water, liquid methane is (a)...Ch. 7 - Frozen lakes often have liquid water beneath their...Ch. 7 - Temperatures on Mercury are (a) always very hot;...Ch. 7 - On Venus, liquid water (a) does not exist...Ch. 7 - The reason Venus is so much hotter than Earth is...Ch. 7 - Life is probably not possible in Jupiters...Ch. 7 - Which of the following are you most likely to find...Ch. 7 - The Cassini spacecraft (a) flew past Pluto; (b)...Ch. 7 - Bizarre Forms of Life. Discuss some forms of life...Ch. 7 - Making a Living. Consider various methods by which...Ch. 7 - Solar System Tour. Based on the brief tour in this...Ch. 7 - Galileo Spacecraft. In 2003, scientists...Ch. 7 - Greenhouse Effect. The text (in Chapter 4) makes...Ch. 7 - Prob. 41IFCh. 7 - Understanding Newtons Version of Keplers Third Law...Ch. 7 - Understanding Newtons Version of Keplers Third Law...Ch. 7 - Earth Mass. The Moon orbits Earth in an average...Ch. 7 - Jupiter Mass. Jupiters moon Io orbits Jupiter...Ch. 7 - Pluto/Charon Mass. Plutos moon Charon orbits Pluto...Ch. 7 - Mission to Pluto. The New Horizons spacecraft took...Ch. 7 - Planetary Missions. Visit the web page for one of...
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- What is a habitable zone?arrow_forwardIf we do find life on Mars, what might be some ways to check whether it formed separately from Earth life, or whether exchanges of material between the two planets meant that the two forms of life have a common origin?arrow_forwardWhat is the difference between chemical evolution and biological evolution?arrow_forward
- Tutorial A radio broadcast left Earth in 1923. How far in light years has it traveled? If there is, on average, 1 star system per 400 cubic light years, how many star systems has this broadcast reached? Assume that the fraction of these star systems that have planets is 0.50 and that, in a given planetary system, the average number of planets that have orbited in the habitable zone for 4 billion years is 0.40. How many possible planets with life could have heard this signal? Part 1 of 3 To figure out how many light years a signal has traveled we need to know how long since the signal left Earth. If the signal left in 1923, distance in light years = time since broadcast left Earth. d = tnow - broadcast d = 97 97 light years Part 2 of 3 Since the radio signal travels in all directions, it expanded as a sphere with a radius equal to the distance it has traveled so far. To determine the number of star systems this signal has reached, we need to determine the volume of that sphere. V, = Vb…arrow_forwardTutorial A radio broadcast left Earth in 1925. How far in light years has it traveled? If there is, on average, 1 star system per 400 cubic light years, how many star systems has this broadcast reached? Assume that the fraction of these star systems that have planets is 0.30 and that, in a given planetary system, the average number of planets that have orbited in the habitable zone for 4 billion years is 0.85. How many possible planets with life could have heard this signal? Part 1 of 3 To figure out how many light years a signal has traveled we need to know how long since the signal left Earth. If the signal left in 1925, distance in light years = time since broadcast left Earth. d = tnow - tbroadcast d = light years Submit Skip (you cannot come back)arrow_forwardHow does the habitable zone differ for a star hotter than the sun?arrow_forward
- Which of the following seems least reasonable regarding life on Earth? Group of answer choices There is much scientific evidence suggesting that all creatures living on Earth today appear to have evolved from a common ancestor. Louis Pasteur discredited the concept of spontaneous generation by demonstrating that even bacteria and other microorganisms arise from parents resembling themselves. There is ample physical evidence that the earliest life forms on Earth were multicellular creatures, perhaps resembling some of our primitive fish. When the earth formed some 4.6 billion years ago, it was a lifeless, inhospitable place. Before the mid-17th century, most people believed that God had created humankind and other higher organisms and that insects, frogs, and other small creatures could arise spontaneously in mud or decaying matter About billion years into its development, the Earth it was teeming with organisms resembling blue-green algae.arrow_forwardMars and Europa are two Solar System bodies that are considered possible habitats for Earth-like life. Why?arrow_forwardHow can a planet’s atmosphere affect the width of the habitable zone in its planetary system?arrow_forward
- If you represent Earths history by a line that is 1 m long, how long a segment would represent the 400 million years since life first moved onto the land? How long a segment would represent the 4-millionyear history of humanoid life?arrow_forwardWhat are the advantages to using radio waves for communication between civilizations that live around different stars? List as many as you can.arrow_forwardMolecules of which gas were needed in Earths atmosphere for life to evolve from living in the sea to living on the land? Why?arrow_forward
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