Life in the Universe
Life in the Universe
4th Edition
ISBN: 9780134080345
Author: Bennett
Publisher: PEARSON
bartleby

Concept explainers

bartleby

Videos

Textbook Question
Chapter 7, Problem 1RQ

Why do we expect the elements of life to be widely available on other worlds? How does the requirement of organic building blocks further constrain the prospects of habitability?

Expert Solution & Answer
Check Mark
To determine

The reason to expect the elements of life to be widely available on other worlds and also requirement of organic building blocks and the way in which they constrain the prospects of habitability.

Answer to Problem 1RQ

Every start system has at least some amount of all elements used by life and the nature of formation of solar system is also the reason to expect elements of life in other worlds and requirement of basic organic building blocks constrain the prospects of habitability in other worlds.

Explanation of Solution

The basic environmental requirement of life is the presence of atmosphere where humans can breathe, abundant surface water that is drinkable, combination of surface pressure and temperature and some set of chemical elements from which cells are formed.

The four basic chemical elements that make up 96% mass of living organism are oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen and the presence of these elements is a basic requirement for life in general.

The reason to expect the presence of elements of life on other worlds is that all the other worlds are formed through the same process of accretion of gases and condensation sameas Earth.

All chemical elements except hydrogen and helium were produced by stars. Therefore they are present everywhere.

The most important element, such as, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon are also the third, sixth and fourth most abundant element in the universe while all the other heavy elements are quite rare compared to helium and hydrogen but they are also present in every star system.

Hence, every start system has at least some amount of all elements used by life and the nature of formation of solar system is also the reason to expect elements of life in other worlds.

According to nebular theory of formation of solar system, the planets were formed by the process of condensation of gas in the solar nebula when solid particles condensed and these particles then accreted into planets, comets, moons and asteroids.

As long as condensation and accretion occur, there is always a possibility to find elements in other worlds.

The chemical elements are not the only thing which makes the life habitable other requirements such as water, atmosphere and, combination of surface pressure and temperature are the basic requirements which constraints the prospects ofhabitability.

One more important requirement is the presence of these elements in molecules that are used as building blocks of life; most of the organic molecules are created by some chemical reactions on the surface or somewhere deep in the oceans and some molecules are created by heat and pressure.

Chemical reactions would likely occur only on worlds with atmospheres or oceans. Therefore, requirement of basic organic building blocks constrain the prospects of habitability in other worlds.

Conclusion:

Thus, every start system has at least some amount of all elements used by life and the nature of formation of solar system is also the reason to expect elements of life in other worlds and requirement of basic organic building blocks constrain the prospects of habitability in other worlds.

Want to see more full solutions like this?

Subscribe now to access step-by-step solutions to millions of textbook problems written by subject matter experts!
Students have asked these similar questions
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?

Chapter 7 Solutions

Life in the Universe

Ch. 7 - What characteristics make some of the large moons...Ch. 7 - Briefly describe the prospects for habitability of...Ch. 7 - Describe and distinguish between space missions...Ch. 7 - For a few of the most important past, present, or...Ch. 7 - On the smallest moon of Uranus, my team discovered...Ch. 7 - New spacecraft images show lakes of liquid water...Ch. 7 - We are pumping water for our new Moon colony from...Ch. 7 - I was part of the first group of people to land on...Ch. 7 - We sent a robotic airplane into the atmosphere of...Ch. 7 - On a moon of Neptune, we discovered photosynthetic...Ch. 7 - We deposited bacteria (from Earth) that get energy...Ch. 7 - The drilled sample showed no signs of life on...Ch. 7 - We cut holes in the frozen surface of a methane...Ch. 7 - The drilled sample from Mars brought up rock that...Ch. 7 - Oxygen and carbon are (a) rarer than almost all...Ch. 7 - On an asteroid that is twice as far as Earth from...Ch. 7 - Compared to liquid water, liquid methane is (a)...Ch. 7 - Frozen lakes often have liquid water beneath their...Ch. 7 - Temperatures on Mercury are (a) always very hot;...Ch. 7 - On Venus, liquid water (a) does not exist...Ch. 7 - The reason Venus is so much hotter than Earth is...Ch. 7 - Life is probably not possible in Jupiters...Ch. 7 - Which of the following are you most likely to find...Ch. 7 - The Cassini spacecraft (a) flew past Pluto; (b)...Ch. 7 - Bizarre Forms of Life. Discuss some forms of life...Ch. 7 - Making a Living. Consider various methods by which...Ch. 7 - Solar System Tour. Based on the brief tour in this...Ch. 7 - Galileo Spacecraft. In 2003, scientists...Ch. 7 - Greenhouse Effect. The text (in Chapter 4) makes...Ch. 7 - Prob. 41IFCh. 7 - Understanding Newtons Version of Keplers Third Law...Ch. 7 - Understanding Newtons Version of Keplers Third Law...Ch. 7 - Earth Mass. The Moon orbits Earth in an average...Ch. 7 - Jupiter Mass. Jupiters moon Io orbits Jupiter...Ch. 7 - Pluto/Charon Mass. Plutos moon Charon orbits Pluto...Ch. 7 - Mission to Pluto. The New Horizons spacecraft took...Ch. 7 - Planetary Missions. Visit the web page for one of...
Knowledge Booster
Physics
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.
Recommended textbooks for you
  • Astronomy
    Physics
    ISBN:9781938168284
    Author:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
    Publisher:OpenStax
    Stars and Galaxies (MindTap Course List)
    Physics
    ISBN:9781337399944
    Author:Michael A. Seeds
    Publisher:Cengage Learning
    The Solar System
    Physics
    ISBN:9781337672252
    Author:The Solar System
    Publisher:Cengage
  • Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)
    Physics
    ISBN:9781337399920
    Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
    Publisher:Cengage Learning
    Stars and Galaxies
    Physics
    ISBN:9781305120785
    Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
    Publisher:Cengage Learning
    The Solar System
    Physics
    ISBN:9781305804562
    Author:Seeds
    Publisher:Cengage
  • Astronomy
    Physics
    ISBN:9781938168284
    Author:Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney C. Wolff
    Publisher:OpenStax
    Stars and Galaxies (MindTap Course List)
    Physics
    ISBN:9781337399944
    Author:Michael A. Seeds
    Publisher:Cengage Learning
    The Solar System
    Physics
    ISBN:9781337672252
    Author:The Solar System
    Publisher:Cengage
    Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)
    Physics
    ISBN:9781337399920
    Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
    Publisher:Cengage Learning
    Stars and Galaxies
    Physics
    ISBN:9781305120785
    Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
    Publisher:Cengage Learning
    The Solar System
    Physics
    ISBN:9781305804562
    Author:Seeds
    Publisher:Cengage
    General Relativity: The Curvature of Spacetime; Author: Professor Dave Explains;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7V3koyL7Mc;License: Standard YouTube License, CC-BY