Jupiter Moon Europa
Physical Science Ann Miller
Final Paper 2/23/06 The Search for Life in Outer Space
For years, astronomers, scientists of all kinds, and even average people have wondered if there is such thing as life on other planets. Many dedicate all of their time to researching extraterrestrial life. Some believe researching something we have no proof of is a waste of time. Modern day telescopes have detected Earth-sized planets orbiting nearby stars. An ancient Martian rock shows signs of life, and scientists wonder if Jupiter's moon Europa contains life in its oceans. The idea that there is even a tiny hint of life that we share the universe with, not just living beings, but capable, intelligent life much …show more content…
J.B.S. Haldane, a Scottish biochemist, and A.P. Oparin, a Russian biochemist, researched the formation of earth and concluded that "soon after the Earth's formation, the necessary chemical elements were present for complex molecules to form molecules that are needed for life," (19-4). To assess the possibility that life exists now, or has at some point, on some other planet or moon, we have to know whether the conditions there are/were much like life as we know it on Earth. The first requirement for life is liquid water; without it, any kind of life, is impossible. But, how do we know what other life forms require to survive if we have never interacted with them? The same reasoning also applies to organic compounds. "Carbon-based polymers such as nucleic acids and proteins make up the core molecules required to carry out the central biological functions of replication and catalysis," (Wallace). Without these functions, life as we know it could not …show more content…
It detected oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere, along with the chemically incapable components ozone and methane. Water in the form of vapor, ice, and oceans was detected on the Earth's surface. The spacecraft's camera took pictures showing huge land areas covered with some sort of color. It also detected narrow-band, pulsed radio transmissions. Carl Sagan, and the other scientists who conducted this study of Earth from space, concluded that taken together, this evidence implied that not just life, but intelligent life, existed on Earth. It would be much harder, however, to detect life existing in other parts of the solar
Final Paper 2/23/06 The Search for Life in Outer Space
For years, astronomers, scientists of all kinds, and even average people have wondered if there is such thing as life on other planets. Many dedicate all of their time to researching extraterrestrial life. Some believe researching something we have no proof of is a waste of time. Modern day telescopes have detected Earth-sized planets orbiting nearby stars. An ancient Martian rock shows signs of life, and scientists wonder if Jupiter's moon Europa contains life in its oceans. The idea that there is even a tiny hint of life that we share the universe with, not just living beings, but capable, intelligent life much …show more content…
J.B.S. Haldane, a Scottish biochemist, and A.P. Oparin, a Russian biochemist, researched the formation of earth and concluded that "soon after the Earth's formation, the necessary chemical elements were present for complex molecules to form molecules that are needed for life," (19-4). To assess the possibility that life exists now, or has at some point, on some other planet or moon, we have to know whether the conditions there are/were much like life as we know it on Earth. The first requirement for life is liquid water; without it, any kind of life, is impossible. But, how do we know what other life forms require to survive if we have never interacted with them? The same reasoning also applies to organic compounds. "Carbon-based polymers such as nucleic acids and proteins make up the core molecules required to carry out the central biological functions of replication and catalysis," (Wallace). Without these functions, life as we know it could not …show more content…
It detected oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere, along with the chemically incapable components ozone and methane. Water in the form of vapor, ice, and oceans was detected on the Earth's surface. The spacecraft's camera took pictures showing huge land areas covered with some sort of color. It also detected narrow-band, pulsed radio transmissions. Carl Sagan, and the other scientists who conducted this study of Earth from space, concluded that taken together, this evidence implied that not just life, but intelligent life, existed on Earth. It would be much harder, however, to detect life existing in other parts of the solar