1.) Natural Selection is the process by which the members of a species with the best attributes live longer and reproduce more so that the species evolves
2.) Amino acids are organic compounds containing amine, carboxyl, and side chains. Handedness refers to how an amino acids are structured. Since almost all life is left-handed it gives further evidence to a common ancestry.
3.) A liquid medium is necessary for molecules to be transported for life to exist. Water is the best medium because it has a higher melting and boiling point than other mediums so chemical reactions happen faster. Other potential liquids are methane and ethane.
Monday, October 31, 2016
Thursday, October 20, 2016
HW #4
1) Why is water so important for life on Earth? List the three major roles that water plays in
metabolism.
A liquid of some kind is needed to allow organic chains and molecules to travel and interact. Water can get very warm, in contrast to other liquids on planets such as methane which is very cold in liquid form. Reactions happen faster in warmer temperatures than cold ones, allowing cellular respiration and other reactions to go quicker. Water also carries chemicals in and out of cells to ensure they get the nutrients they need.
2) What do we mean by an “RNA World” and why do scientists suggest that such a world preceded the current “DNA World”?
The "RNA World" was early in Earth's life when prokaryotes and other simple life forms were the only things inhabiting Earth. RNA was the original genetic code, and its simple design was easy to create. RNA was the precursor to the development of DNA. Eukaryotes, complex life, is based on DNA. At some point in the evolutionary chain, RNA found a way to pair up and replicate, and with replication came larger multicelled organisms.
3) Summarize the three major environment requirements for life. Overall, what “litmus test” seems appropriate for constraining our search for habitable worlds, and why?
One of the basic requirements of life are elements such as O, N, C, and H can combine in various ways to form larger organic molecules. Other requirements include energy and liquid water. Energy from sunlight works if the planet is close enough to the sun, and chemical energy is also another source of energy but needs atmosphere or liquid water. Liquid water is by far the most important requirement for life. It is a solvent that allows for molecules to move around and undergo reactions. A good "habitability test" would be to see how far away the planet is from its sun, in regards to the size of the sun. Since water plays such a vital role in all of the processes of life, we should look at planets that have the conditions for liquid water. There is the possibility to life based on something other than carbon, but water would still be needed to facilitate transportation and movement within and between cells.
A liquid of some kind is needed to allow organic chains and molecules to travel and interact. Water can get very warm, in contrast to other liquids on planets such as methane which is very cold in liquid form. Reactions happen faster in warmer temperatures than cold ones, allowing cellular respiration and other reactions to go quicker. Water also carries chemicals in and out of cells to ensure they get the nutrients they need.
2) What do we mean by an “RNA World” and why do scientists suggest that such a world preceded the current “DNA World”?
The "RNA World" was early in Earth's life when prokaryotes and other simple life forms were the only things inhabiting Earth. RNA was the original genetic code, and its simple design was easy to create. RNA was the precursor to the development of DNA. Eukaryotes, complex life, is based on DNA. At some point in the evolutionary chain, RNA found a way to pair up and replicate, and with replication came larger multicelled organisms.
3) Summarize the three major environment requirements for life. Overall, what “litmus test” seems appropriate for constraining our search for habitable worlds, and why?
One of the basic requirements of life are elements such as O, N, C, and H can combine in various ways to form larger organic molecules. Other requirements include energy and liquid water. Energy from sunlight works if the planet is close enough to the sun, and chemical energy is also another source of energy but needs atmosphere or liquid water. Liquid water is by far the most important requirement for life. It is a solvent that allows for molecules to move around and undergo reactions. A good "habitability test" would be to see how far away the planet is from its sun, in regards to the size of the sun. Since water plays such a vital role in all of the processes of life, we should look at planets that have the conditions for liquid water. There is the possibility to life based on something other than carbon, but water would still be needed to facilitate transportation and movement within and between cells.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
HW #4
1.
There are some similarities between the theory
of gravity and the theory of evolution. For each theory they are at this point
at commonly well proven theory. We see this based on the fact that through experimentation,
we have seen repeated results time after time. This is analogous in each theory
because we have empirical evidence that has been tested and proven for both
gravity and evolution. There is another similarity between the two theories. They
both have evolved (no pun intended) and changed over time. The theory of gravity’s
modern day understanding started with observations traced back to Newton going through
stages with Einstein and then progressing to the understanding we have of it
today. Also both theories follow Occam’s Razor which is the idea that both
theories are the simplest explanation for observations.
2.
The closest common ancestors appear to be single
celled organisms, usually in the form of bacteria. By studying DNA sequences,
we can see commonalities in the genome of species that prove a close relation.
We can continue to do this, comparing and contrasting genomes between species.
By doing this we can see the evolution's that genetics have gone through over time.
3.
We know the threat of impacts from meteorites
and asteroids are real because we as humans have witnessed some of these
impacts and the repercussions of them. One example of this is the fireball meteorite
that exploded over a forest in Tunguska, Siberia. The energy released from the meteorites
is estimated to been equivalent with 200 atomic bombs. We saw in WWII the destruction
that just one atomic bomb can have. We have also seen the devastation a meteorite
can have by witnessing the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 slam into Jupiter in 1994. The
explosion witnessed from Earth was approximately the same size as Earth. There
have been more impacts from meteorites since then that have shown that there is
definite possibility of devastating meteors striking Earth.
Friday, October 7, 2016
Homework#3
Sports are well-known for there use of superstition. This year Michael Phelps gained a bit of notoriety when we started cupping, and ancient form of Chinese blood-letting, in order to give him an edge in "letting out toxins and increasing performance." This practice has very little quality scientific evidence to support it and any studies done had a very low amount of test subjects and were very biased towards the practice. Most studies came out of of China which is notorious for biases towards in ancient medicinal practices. Any study done in a Western state with a large test pool has shown either no noticeable effects or even some negative effects in the form of anemia.
It is thought that earlier in our solar systems life time there could have been more planets orbiting our sun that we have today. However, if these planets, and by extensions other planetoids, were to come close enough to each other then by the Law of the Conservation of Gravity one of the planetoids could have sped up so much that it could have escaped our suns gravitational pull. This would have been extremely rare due to the large size of our universe and even our solar system. If we did discover a meteor from another solar system it could tell us what kind of materials are abundant in that solar system and even if that solar system have some of the necessary materials to support life as we know it
It is thought that earlier in our solar systems life time there could have been more planets orbiting our sun that we have today. However, if these planets, and by extensions other planetoids, were to come close enough to each other then by the Law of the Conservation of Gravity one of the planetoids could have sped up so much that it could have escaped our suns gravitational pull. This would have been extremely rare due to the large size of our universe and even our solar system. If we did discover a meteor from another solar system it could tell us what kind of materials are abundant in that solar system and even if that solar system have some of the necessary materials to support life as we know it
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Homework #3
# 59. The first problem with this article is that outside of
a low quality photo there is no further empirical evidence that a UFO was seen
or proven to have been in the sky that day. There is no other siting of the UFO
except from this photographer reported which is means there is only one source
of information. It is known in the Criminal Justice System that the worst kind
of evidence to bring forward is eye witnesses. And if there is only one it
makes the evidence that much weaker. Likewise, the evidence provided by the one
source is subjective speculation information. According to him because the
object is silver it must be metallic and therefore probably “scanned” a passage
plan of its technology and copied it. On top of the fact it is an eyewitness,
it is only one eyewitness, and on top of that he makes subjective assumptions
with no real empirical evidence.
#51. The reason that the planets all formed in the motion
they did and at the same time come down to two main concepts; the conservation
of energy and the conservation of angular momentum. The nebular theory is the
common understanding of the formation of the solar system. First we have a
large cloud of gas that slowly start to collapse due to gravity. Based on the
two concepts of conservation the cloud heats up and starts spinning as it
contracts. Collisions between the particles in the cloud flatten the cloud into
a disk. The Temperature is highest in the center and where the star forms. The other
particles surrounding form the planets and continue the motion of the disk as
the revolve around the central star.
HW #3
Ch 2: #57: The Galileo Affair: In recent years, the Vatican has devoted a lot of resources to
learning more about the trial of Galileo and understanding past actions of the Church in the
Galileo case. Learn more about such studies, and write a short report about the current Vatican
view of the case.
Historically, the case of Galileo v. the Church has been one of the greatest controversies facing the Catholic Church. The Church has received much scrutiny over their conviction of Galileo and his heliocentric teachings. Charged with "heresy", Galileo lived the last 8 years of his life under house arrest, unable to share his theories on heliocentricity. Many people view this as the beginning of the separation of science and religion. People, mainly non-religious people, ridicule the Vatican for its outdated ruling. In recent years though, the Catholic Church has done further research into what really happened during the time of Galileo's trial. Much of the Vatican's defense for its past decision was that they simply wanted Galileo to teach heliocentrism as a theory to explain planetary motion and not directly challenge what was written in the scripture. 350 years later, Pope John Paul II removed the outdated ruling on Galileo's trial and had the Vatican formally embrace heliocentrism. In recounting the events of the actual trial however, the Catholic Church hold firm that they have always supported the sciences and that Galileo acted out of turn during and after the affair. They argue the fact that, at the time Galileo's claims did not answer the greatest evidence for geocentrism, the lack of stellar parallax. The Church also points out that most people back then took a much more literal interpretation to the Bible, rather than the more metaphorical approaches we see today. Not only that, but in his book, Dialogue on the Two World Systems, Galileo ridiculed Pope Urban VIII who had been one of his few possible supporters. In the book, Galileo explains Urban VIII's views through the words of the character Simplicio, whose name can translate to "simpleton" in certain Italian dialects. While the Church has recognized its mistakes in regards to the Galileo affair, the Vatican also holds firm that given the circumstances, they made the right decision at the time.
Sources:
http://www.catholic.com/tracts/the-galileo-controversy
http://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/31/world/after-350-years-vatican-says-galileo-was-right-it-moves.html
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/galileo-is-convicted-of-heresy
Ch 3: #44: Our Cosmic Origin: Write two paragraphs summarizing why we could not be here if the Universe did not contain both stars and Galaxies.
Stars and Galaxies are part of a cycle where clouds of gas collapse and condense to the point where they form into stars and planets. Specifically, stars are born when the cloud of dust and gas is dense enough and get hot enough to undergo nuclear fusion and create energy. Throughout their lives, stars burn through their fuel supply for nuclear fusion. When they eventually run out, the stars explode and send its materials back to the empty spaces in their Galaxy. This left over debris accumulates over time and eventually forms a new cloud of gas and dust which will turn into a new star or planet. The cycle of stars created in Galaxies also gives way to the creation of planets. Without stars and Galaxies, there would be no planets, which is a clear example as to why we couldn't be here without them.
If a star is big enough, it can carry out nuclear fusion to a further point than just He. Given high enough temperatures and pressures, nearing the ends of their lives, stars produce carbon, oxygen, silicon, neon and many other elements through nuclear fusion. Once the star dies, all of these elements get sent out into space where they collect to form new stars and planets. It's these processes that provided us with the many elements that developed not only our planet, but our life. As Carl Sagan said, we are "star stuff". Without Galaxies, we wouldn't have stars or planets, and without stars, we wouldn't have the basic building blocks of life.
Source:
Life in the Universe by Bennett and Shostak
Historically, the case of Galileo v. the Church has been one of the greatest controversies facing the Catholic Church. The Church has received much scrutiny over their conviction of Galileo and his heliocentric teachings. Charged with "heresy", Galileo lived the last 8 years of his life under house arrest, unable to share his theories on heliocentricity. Many people view this as the beginning of the separation of science and religion. People, mainly non-religious people, ridicule the Vatican for its outdated ruling. In recent years though, the Catholic Church has done further research into what really happened during the time of Galileo's trial. Much of the Vatican's defense for its past decision was that they simply wanted Galileo to teach heliocentrism as a theory to explain planetary motion and not directly challenge what was written in the scripture. 350 years later, Pope John Paul II removed the outdated ruling on Galileo's trial and had the Vatican formally embrace heliocentrism. In recounting the events of the actual trial however, the Catholic Church hold firm that they have always supported the sciences and that Galileo acted out of turn during and after the affair. They argue the fact that, at the time Galileo's claims did not answer the greatest evidence for geocentrism, the lack of stellar parallax. The Church also points out that most people back then took a much more literal interpretation to the Bible, rather than the more metaphorical approaches we see today. Not only that, but in his book, Dialogue on the Two World Systems, Galileo ridiculed Pope Urban VIII who had been one of his few possible supporters. In the book, Galileo explains Urban VIII's views through the words of the character Simplicio, whose name can translate to "simpleton" in certain Italian dialects. While the Church has recognized its mistakes in regards to the Galileo affair, the Vatican also holds firm that given the circumstances, they made the right decision at the time.
Sources:
http://www.catholic.com/tracts/the-galileo-controversy
http://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/31/world/after-350-years-vatican-says-galileo-was-right-it-moves.html
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/galileo-is-convicted-of-heresy
Ch 3: #44: Our Cosmic Origin: Write two paragraphs summarizing why we could not be here if the Universe did not contain both stars and Galaxies.
Stars and Galaxies are part of a cycle where clouds of gas collapse and condense to the point where they form into stars and planets. Specifically, stars are born when the cloud of dust and gas is dense enough and get hot enough to undergo nuclear fusion and create energy. Throughout their lives, stars burn through their fuel supply for nuclear fusion. When they eventually run out, the stars explode and send its materials back to the empty spaces in their Galaxy. This left over debris accumulates over time and eventually forms a new cloud of gas and dust which will turn into a new star or planet. The cycle of stars created in Galaxies also gives way to the creation of planets. Without stars and Galaxies, there would be no planets, which is a clear example as to why we couldn't be here without them.
If a star is big enough, it can carry out nuclear fusion to a further point than just He. Given high enough temperatures and pressures, nearing the ends of their lives, stars produce carbon, oxygen, silicon, neon and many other elements through nuclear fusion. Once the star dies, all of these elements get sent out into space where they collect to form new stars and planets. It's these processes that provided us with the many elements that developed not only our planet, but our life. As Carl Sagan said, we are "star stuff". Without Galaxies, we wouldn't have stars or planets, and without stars, we wouldn't have the basic building blocks of life.
Source:
Life in the Universe by Bennett and Shostak
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