Possible life

Question 1

What are some of the minimum needs for life?

Answer 1

• Enough heat energy for liquid water
• Carbon
• An energy source to fuel processes such as photosynthesis and chemosynthesis
• Protection from harmful UV rays
• Time for life to evolve

Question 2

Why is water important for life?

Answer 2

• Dissolves substances
• Medium for chemical reactions
• Wide liquid temp range (0’C - 100’C)
  *Ice floats, insulates water below

Question 3

Name the sources of warmth in the Solar System.

Answer 3

• Sunlight
• Volcanic/geothermal activity
• Tidal flexing from gravitational pulls

Question 4

What is Carbon’s role in life?

Answer 4

Carbon is the backbone of proteins, sugars, fats, and DNA.

Question 5

What are the two types of cells?

Answer 5

• Prokaryotic cells: simple, no organelles, one chromosome
  
  • These cells comprise bacteria and archaea.
• Eukaryotic cells: complex, many organelles, multiple chromosomes.
  
  • Cells of animals, plants, fungi, and protists.

Question 6

What is chemosynthesis?

Answer 6

The process by which food or glucose is made by bacteria or other living things using chemicals as the energy source, typically in the absence of sunlight.

Question 7

What is photosynthesis?

Answer 7

The process of creating sugar and oxygen from carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight.
It occurs in plants, algae, and some types of bacteria.

Question 8

What are extremophiles?

Answer 8

They are organisms that live in “extreme environments,” under high pressures and temperature.

Question 9

What are some examples of extremophile environments on Earth?

Answer 9

• Hydrothermal vents - Microscopic bacteria thrive in these vents. Chemosynthesis can occur in them.
• Hot pools in NZ - contain many extremophiles, may cause extreme/unnatural colors in the environment.
• Frozen lakes like Lake Vostok under Andarctica

Question 10

How do bacteria survive in extreme environments?

Answer 10

• Dormancy - They produce highly resistant spores for protection. Can survive for long periods of time; germinate and reproduce.
• Radiation - some extremophiles are very resistant to radiation, they can mend their own DNA very quickly.

Question 11

Possible life on Mars?

Answer 11

• Seasonal ice caps
• Evidence of past water
• Possible life underground
• Tectonic/volcanic activity
• Two captured asteroids for moons: Phobos and Deimos

Question 12

Possible life on Europa?

Answer 12

• Ocean under ice + seasonal ice caps
• Water under ice due to gravitational friction from Jupiter and other moons.
• Possible underwater volcanoes.

Question 13

Possible life on Enceladus?

Answer 13

• Water vapour and ice surface –> sea under
• Potential water-ice geysers

Question 14

Possible life on Titan?

Answer 14

• Has liquid methane lakes and rivers
• Largest of Saturn’s moons
• cryovolcanoes