Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
4th Edition
ISBN: 9780134089089
Author: Jeffrey O. Bennett, Seth Shostak
Publisher: PEARSON
expand_more
expand_more
format_list_bulleted
Concept explainers
Textbook Question
Chapter 6, Problem 6RQ
Briefly summarize current ideas about the sequence of events through which life may have originated on Earth. What role(s) might clay or other inorganic materials have played?
Expert Solution & Answer
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solutionStudents have asked these similar questions
A) Describe the nuclear reaction that forms C14, B) what it decays into, and C) how it isused to date carbon-based 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?
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.
Chapter 6 Solutions
Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
Ch. 6 - What are the three lines of fossil evidence that...Ch. 6 - How do studies of DNA sequences allow us to...Ch. 6 - Based on current evidence, what locations on Earth...Ch. 6 - What was the MillerUrey experiment, and how did it...Ch. 6 - What do we mean by an RNA world, and why do...Ch. 6 - Briefly summarize current ideas about the sequence...Ch. 6 - Briefly discuss the possibility that life migrated...Ch. 6 - Why do we think that evolution would have...Ch. 6 - Briefly discuss the early evolution of life, from...Ch. 6 - How do we think that eukaryotes evolved? What time...
Ch. 6 - What was the Cambrian explosion? Briefly discuss...Ch. 6 - How and when did life colonize land? Why did it...Ch. 6 - How do we know that the early Earth could not have...Ch. 6 - Summarize the history of the oxygen buildup as it...Ch. 6 - What was the KT impact, and how is it thought to...Ch. 6 - Briefly discuss the evidence for other mass...Ch. 6 - Discuss the threat that future impacts may pose to...Ch. 6 - Describe several adaptations that evolved so...Ch. 6 - When did hominids arise, and when did modern...Ch. 6 - Briefly describe and clarify a few common...Ch. 6 - Prob. 21RQCh. 6 - Briefly describe two main approaches to creating...Ch. 6 - We discover evidence of life, in the form of a...Ch. 6 - We discover an intact fossil of a eukaryotic cell,...Ch. 6 - We discover a preserved, 3.5-billion-year-old...Ch. 6 - We discover clear evidence that life arose on a...Ch. 6 - We discover a fossil of a large dinosaur that...Ch. 6 - We discover that, contrary to present belief,...Ch. 6 - We discover a crater from the impact of a...Ch. 6 - We discover an asteroid about 300 meters across...Ch. 6 - We find fossil remains of an early primate that...Ch. 6 - The first life created in the laboratory has an...Ch. 6 - The origin of life on Earth most likely occurred...Ch. 6 - The earliest living organisms probably were (a)...Ch. 6 - Prob. 35TYUCh. 6 - RNA world refers to (a) the possibility that life...Ch. 6 - Early life arose in an oxygen-free environment,...Ch. 6 - The oxygen in Earths atmosphere was originally...Ch. 6 - The Cambrian explosion refers to (a) a dramatic...Ch. 6 - Prob. 40TYUCh. 6 - The hypothesis that an impact killed the dinosaurs...Ch. 6 - According to the fossil evidence, modern humans...Ch. 6 - Origin of Life Studies. We cannot go back in time...Ch. 6 - A Brief History of Life on Earth. Take all the...Ch. 6 - Geology and Life. In Chapter 4, we discussed the...Ch. 6 - Prob. 48IFCh. 6 - Prob. 49IFCh. 6 - Impact Movie Review. Watch one of the Hollywood...Ch. 6 - Artificial Life Review. Numerous science fiction...Ch. 6 - Bacterial Evolution. Suppose that a mutation...Ch. 6 - Deep in Bacteria. In Cosmic Calculations 6.1, we...Ch. 6 - Prob. 54IFCh. 6 - Human Population Growth. During the twentieth...Ch. 6 - Impact Energy. Consider a comet about 2 kilometers...Ch. 6 - The Missing Link. As we discussed in this chapter,...Ch. 6 - Evolution by Choice. Consider the technology we...
Additional Science Textbook Solutions
Find more solutions based on key concepts
3. What is free-fall, and why does it make you weightless? Briefly describe why astronauts are weightless in th...
The Cosmic Perspective (8th Edition)
Clay Matthews, a linebacker for the Green Bay Packers, can reach a speed of 10.0 m/s. At the start of a play, M...
University Physics Volume 1
Youre driving into Canada and trying to decide whether to fill your gas tank before or after crossing the borde...
Essential University Physics (3rd Edition)
Which value, apparent magnitude, or absolute magnitude, do you think:
tells us how bright an object will appear...
Lecture- Tutorials for Introductory Astronomy
3. What is free-fall, and why does it make you weightless? Briefly describe why astronauts are weightless in th...
The Cosmic Perspective
35. The first and second formants when you make an “ee” vowel sound are approximately 270 Hz and 2300 Hz. The s...
College Physics: A Strategic Approach (4th Edition)
Knowledge Booster
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, physics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Similar questions
- What is the difference between chemical evolution and biological evolution?arrow_forwardIf life is based on information, what is that information?arrow_forwardIf you represent Earth’s history by a line 1 m long, how long a segment would represent the 400 million years since life moved onto the land? How long a segment would represent the 4-million-year history of human life?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_forwardTutorial 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_forward
- Which statement correctly describes evidence that supports the theory of evolutionarrow_forwardWhat 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_forward
arrow_back_ios
arrow_forward_ios
Recommended textbooks for you
- Stars and Galaxies (MindTap Course List)PhysicsISBN:9781337399944Author:Michael A. SeedsPublisher:Cengage LearningFoundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)PhysicsISBN:9781337399920Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana BackmanPublisher:Cengage Learning
- Horizons: Exploring the Universe (MindTap Course ...PhysicsISBN:9781305960961Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana BackmanPublisher:Cengage LearningAn Introduction to Physical SciencePhysicsISBN:9781305079137Author:James Shipman, Jerry D. Wilson, Charles A. Higgins, Omar TorresPublisher:Cengage LearningAstronomyPhysicsISBN:9781938168284Author:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. WolffPublisher:OpenStax
Stars and Galaxies (MindTap Course List)
Physics
ISBN:9781337399944
Author:Michael A. Seeds
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)
Physics
ISBN:9781337399920
Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Horizons: Exploring the Universe (MindTap Course ...
Physics
ISBN:9781305960961
Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher:Cengage Learning
An Introduction to Physical Science
Physics
ISBN:9781305079137
Author:James Shipman, Jerry D. Wilson, Charles A. Higgins, Omar Torres
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Astronomy
Physics
ISBN:9781938168284
Author:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
Publisher:OpenStax
General Relativity: The Curvature of Spacetime; Author: Professor Dave Explains;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7V3koyL7Mc;License: Standard YouTube License, CC-BY