Leaves, genes, and greenhouse gases

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Beerling
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Natural Radioactivity ◽  
Extraterrestrial Life ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Direct Observations ◽  
Solar System Exploration ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Modern Astronomy

The Galileo spacecraft, named after the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei (1564–1642), who launched modern astronomy with his observations of the heavens in 1610, plunged to oblivion in Jupiter’s crushing atmosphere on 21 September 2003. Launched in 1989, it left behind a historic legacy that changed the way we view the solar system. Galileo’s mission was to study the planetary giant Jupiter and its satellites, four of which Galileo himself observed, to his surprise, moving as ‘stars’ around the planet from his garden in Pardu, Italy. En route, the spacecraft captured the first close-up images of an asteroid (Gaspra) and made direct observations of fragments of the comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 smashing into Jupiter. Most remarkable of all were the startling images of icebergs on the surface of Europa beamed backed in April 1997, after nearly eight years of solar system exploration. Icebergs suggested the existence of an extraterrestrial ocean, liquid water. To the rapt attention of the world’s press, NASA’s mission scientists commented that liquid water plus organic compounds already present on Europa, gave you ‘life within a billion years’. Whether this is the case is a moot point; water is essential for life on Earth as we know it, but this is no guarantee it is needed for life elsewhere in the Universe. Oceans may also exist beneath the barren rocky crusts of two other Galilean satellites, Callisto and Ganymede. Callisto and Ganymede probably maintain a liquid ocean thanks to the heat produced by natural radioactivity of their rocky interiors. Europa, though, lies much closer to Jupiter, and any liquid water could be maintained by heating due to gravitational forces that stretch and squeeze the planet in much the same way as Earth’s moon influences our tides. To reach Jupiter, Galileo required two slingshots (gravitational assists) around Earth and Venus. Gravitational assists accelerate the speed and adjust the trajectory of the spacecraft without it expending fuel. The planets doing the assisting pay the price with an imperceptible slowing in their speed of rotation. In Galileo’s case, the procedure fortuitously permitted close observations of Earth from space, allowing a control experiment in the search for extraterrestrial life, never before attempted.

New Heavens, New Earth

Dark Skies ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 65-104
Author(s):  
Daniel Deudney
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Human Control ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Orbital Space ◽  
The Many ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
Modern Astronomy

Humans have always attributed enormous importance to occurrences in the heavens. Over the past several centuries modern astronomy has revealed a cosmos of staggering size, filled with trillions of worlds. Its vacuum, weightlessness, lethal radiations, and fantastic speeds make space harshly inhospitable to human life. To access orbital space requires velocities some thirty-four times as fast as jet aircraft, climbing out of steep gravity wells. Of the many bodies mapped by science in this solar system, asteroids are most practically important because they sometimes collide with great violence, profoundly shaping Earth’s deep history. As knowledge of the cosmos has grown, anticipations of nearby intelligent life have dramatically shrunk. The Space Age has also witnessed a far-reaching revolution in understanding the Earth System. Marked by complexity, chaos, and emergence, life on Earth is incompletely understood and inventoried and much less subject to human control than previously assumed, reducing the feasibility of expansionist visions.

Testing evolutionary convergence on Europa

2003 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 307-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Chela-Flores
Keyword(s):  
Ion Channels ◽  
Solar System ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Feasibility Studies ◽  
Preliminary Test ◽  
Major Objective ◽  
Evolutionary Pathway ◽  
Evolution Of Life ◽  
Solar System Exploration ◽  
The Universe

A major objective in solar system exploration is the insertion of appropriate biology-oriented experiments in future missions. We discuss various reasons for suggesting that this type of research be considered a high priority for feasibility studies and, subsequently, for technological development of appropriate melters and submersibles. Based on numerous examples, we argue in favour of the assumption that Darwin's theory is valid for the evolution of life anywhere in the universe. We have suggested how to obtain preliminary insights into the question of the distribution of life in the universe. Universal evolution of intelligent behaviour is at the end of an evolutionary pathway, in which evolution of ion channels in the membrane of microorganisms occurs in its early stages. Further, we have argued that a preliminary test of this conjecture is feasible with experiments on the Europan surface or ocean, involving evolutionary biosignatures (ion channels). This aspect of the exploration for life in the solar system should be viewed as a complement to the astronomical approach for the search of evidence of the later stages of the evolutionary pathways towards intelligent behaviour.

scholarly journals Classification of the Biogenicity of Complex Organic Mixtures for the Detection of Extraterrestrial Life

Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 234
Author(s):  
Nicholas Guttenberg ◽  
Huan Chen ◽  
Tomohiro Mochizuki ◽  
H. James Cleaves
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Extraterrestrial Life ◽  
Analytical Technique ◽  
Spectral Signatures ◽  
Organic Mixtures ◽  
Terrestrial Life ◽  
Algorithmic Analysis ◽  
In Situ Methods ◽  
Solar System Exploration ◽  
Near Future

Searching for life in the Universe depends on unambiguously distinguishing biological features from background signals, which could take the form of chemical, morphological, or spectral signatures. The discovery and direct measurement of organic compounds unambiguously indicative of extraterrestrial (ET) life is a major goal of Solar System exploration. Biology processes matter and energy differently from abiological systems, and materials produced by biological systems may become enriched in planetary environments where biology is operative. However, ET biology might be composed of different components than terrestrial life. As ET sample return is difficult, in situ methods for identifying biology will be useful. Mass spectrometry (MS) is a potentially versatile life detection technique, which will be used to analyze numerous Solar System environments in the near future. We show here that simple algorithmic analysis of MS data from abiotic synthesis (natural and synthetic), microbial cells, and thermally processed biological materials (lab-grown organisms and petroleum) easily identifies relational organic compound distributions that distinguish pristine and aged biological and abiological materials, which likely can be attributed to the types of compounds these processes produce, as well as how they are formed and decompose. To our knowledge this is the first comprehensive demonstration of the utility of this analytical technique for the detection of biology. This method is independent of the detection of particular masses or molecular species samples may contain. This suggests a general method to agnostically detect evidence of biology using MS given a sufficiently strong signal in which the majority of the material in a sample has either a biological or abiological origin. Such metrics are also likely to be useful for studies of possible emergent living phenomena, and paleobiological samples.

scholarly journals Biosignatures in the solar system

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 6-9
Author(s):  
David Slade ◽  
Alex Price ◽  
Rachael Hamp ◽  
Nisha Ramkissoon
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
Planetary Bodies ◽  
Planets And Satellites ◽  
Life Detection ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Intelligent Life

Humanity's interest in whether or not we are alone in the universe spans generations, from Giordano Bruno's 16th century musings on other worlds and Giovanni Schiaparelli reporting seeing ‘canali’ in 1877 on the surface of Mars (which were thought to have been created by intelligent life) to alien invasions portrayed in today's movies. However, it is still unclear if other planetary bodies are capable of supporting life. In the search for life there are two broad areas we look into, the requirements of life and actual signs of life. The identification of the key requirements for life enables scientists to focus life detection efforts onto planets and satellites that are considered habitable and more likely to support life. However, our ability to find life or detect signs of life is based on our understanding of life on Earth.

scholarly journals Commission 51: Bioastronomy – Search for Extraterrestrial Life

2005 ◽  
Vol 1 (T26A) ◽  
pp. 171-174
Author(s):  
Karen Meech ◽  
Alan Boss ◽  
Cristiano Cosmovici ◽  
Pascale Ehrenfreund ◽  
David Latham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Origin Of Life ◽  
International Society ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Extrasolar Planets ◽  
Extraterrestrial Life ◽  
Evolution Of Life ◽  
Formation And Evolution ◽  
The Origin Of Life ◽  
Life On Earth

Historically, there have been two main groups dealing with the investigation of extraterrestrial life and habitable worlds. The first is IAU Commission 51, composed of astronomers, physicists and engineers who focus on the search for extrasolar planets, formation and evolution of planetary systems, and the astronomical search for intelligent signals. The second group, the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life (ISSOL), is composed largely of biologists and chemists focusing research on the biogenesis and evolution of life on Earth and in the solar system. There are now a variety of international organizations dedicated to this field, and this triennium has seen the beginnings of coordination and interaction between the groups through the Federation of Astrobiology Organizations, FAO.

Hydrogen, Hydrocarbons, and Habitability Across the Solar System

Elements ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher R. Glein ◽  
Mikhail Yu. Zolotov
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Liquid Water ◽  
Molecular Hydrogen ◽  
Organic Molecules ◽  
Extraterrestrial Life ◽  
Volatile Elements ◽  
Reducing Conditions ◽  
Future Space ◽  
Reduction Of Co2

The ingredients to make an environment habitable (e.g., liquid water, chemical disequilibria, and organic molecules) are found throughout the solar system. Liquid water has existed transiently on some bodies and persistently as oceans on others. Molecular hydrogen occurs in a plume on Saturn’s moon Enceladus. It can drive the reduction of CO2 to release energy. Methane has been observed in many places: from the dusty plains of Mars, to the great lakes of the Saturnian moon Titan, to the glacial wonderland that is Pluto. Organic molecules are common where volatile elements and reducing conditions prevail: these organic molecules can have diverse origins. Future space missions will attempt to illuminate the “organic solar system” and the role played by possible extraterrestrial life.

scholarly journals Islamic-Based Physics Learning Model in the Subject of Solar System and Life on Earth

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-31
Author(s):  
Mujizatullah Mujizatullah
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Extracurricular Activities ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Science Learning ◽  
Learning Model ◽  
Islamic School ◽  
Physics Learning ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
The Universe

The research aimed to describe the Islamic based physics science learning model in the subject of measurement at Uminda Islamic School in Gowa by using a qualitative approach the result of research can be seen in implementation learning activities: Praying, read Al-quran and learning process. The students inspired the teaching of islam by instilling religions valves including knowing, understanding the living  Gods creating with the Universe of the solar system, life on earth and also the implementation of religions extracurricular activities. The closing learning process, the teacher and the students made conclusion together Islamic based science learning model in physics lesson on the solar system and life on earth at Uminda Islamic School in Gowa with using with implementatively formulated model namely “Dialogical Diodik” with accordance with the study of Islamic based science physics learning model from the aspect of the of the interdisciplinary approach because it only involved two science and religions extracurricular activities through faith and piety learning. The students were given lesson to observe the universe event and mental spiritual formation which was integrated with the planting of religions valves, but there were still limited teacher resources to do it.Keywords: Model, Pembelajaran IPA, Fisika, berbasis, Islam.Penelitian bertujuan untuk menggambarkan Model pembelajaran IPA Fisika berbasis Islam pada Pokok Bahasan Pengukuran di MTS Uminda Kabupaten Gowa . dengan menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif. Hasil penelitian  dapat terlihat pada implementasi langkah –langkah pembelajaran,mulai dari kegiatan pembelajaran pendahuluan :Membaca doa, membaca ayat suci Al Quran surat-surat pendek,kegiatan pembelajaran Inti :Menghayati ajaran agama Islam dengan menanamkan nilai-nilai agama diantaranya mengetahui, memahami dan menghayati ciptaan Tuhan dengan adanya alam semesta sistem tata surya dan kehidupan di bumi dan implementasi ektrakurikuler keagamaan.kegiatan pembelajaran Penutup .Guru dan peserta didik bersama-sama menyimpulkan Model pembelajaran  IPA berbasis Islam pada pelajaran fisika pokok bahasan sistem tata surya dan kehidupan di bumi pada Madrasah Tsanawiyah Swasta Uminda Kabupaten Gowa menggunakan model yang dirumuskan secara implementatif yaitu model Diadik Dialogis yang sesuai dengan kajian model pembelajaran IPA-Fisika berbasis Islam dari aspek pendekatan interdisipliner karena hanya melibatkan dua disiplin ilmu IPA dan agama. Selanjutnya di integrasikan pada kegiatan ekstrakurikuler Keagamaan melalui pembelajaran iman dan taqwa peserta didik di berikan pembelajaran mengamati kejadian alam semesta dan pembinaan mental spiritual yang di integrasikan dengan penanaman nilai-nilai Agama. Namun masih terbatas sumber daya Guru untuk melaksnakan hal tersebut.Kata kunci: Pembelajaran IPA, Fisika, berbasis Islam.

Applications of Geospatial Research in Earth Resources

2018 ◽  
pp. 15-31
Author(s):  
Joyce Gosata Maphanyane ◽  
Read Brown Mthanganyika Mapeo ◽  
Modupe O. Akinola
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Atmospheric Processes ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Tectonic Movements

This chapter is a continuation from Chapter 1. The two chapters draw attention to discussions on the Earth and its systems, which are driven by the outer motion of the Solar System. It gives an analytical view of what is known about the Universe. It elaborates upon the Earth's structure and the associated spheres and their interactions. These interactions account for activities that form the whole Earth dynamism, which manifest as tectonic movements, polar wondering and magnetic reversals, seasonal changes, hydrological cycle, atmospheric processes and life on Earth as a whole. The study of these is a fundamental component of geospatial science research.

One of Ten Billion Earths

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karel Schrijver
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
White Dwarfs ◽  
Planetary Systems ◽  
Deep Space ◽  
Extraterrestrial Life ◽  
Distant Future ◽  
Hot Jupiters ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Universe

Illustrated with breathtaking images of the Solar System and of the Universe around it, this book explores how the discoveries within the Solar System and of distant exoplanets come together to aid understanding of the habitability of Earth, and how this guides the search for exoplanets that could support life. The author recounts how, within two decades of the discovery of the first planets outside the Solar System in the 1990s, scientists concluded that planets are so common that most stars are orbited by them. The twelve chapters highlight what we have learned about exoplanets and how the lives of exoplanets and their stars are inextricably interwoven. Stars are the seeds around which planetary systems form. Stars provide their planets with light and warmth for as long as they shine. At the end of their lives, stars expel massive amounts of newly forged elements into deep space. That ejected material is incorporated into subsequent generations of planets. How do we learn about these distant worlds? What does the exploration of other planets tell us about the history of Earth? Can we find out what the distant future may have in store for us? What do we know about exoworlds and starbirth, and where do migrating hot Jupiters, polluted white dwarfs, and free-roaming nomad planets fit in? What does all that have to do with the habitability of Earth and the possibility of finding extraterrestrial life? And how did the globe-spanning network of the sciences begin to answer all these questions?

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