Question 1

Which observation(s)and/or experiment(s)demonstrate ways that the chemical building blocks of life (amino acids and DNA bases)could have originated on the early Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) Amino acids and DNA bases form from simple chemical reactions in experiments simulating the early Earth atmosphere. 
B) Experiments have shown that naturally occurring clays can catalyze the formation of RNA strands. 
C) These complex molecules have been found within meteorites. 
D) All of the above 
A) Amino acids and DNA bases form from simple chemical reactions in experiments simulating the early Earth atmosphere. 
B) Experiments have shown that naturally occurring clays can catalyze the formation of RNA strands. 
C) These complex molecules have been found within meteorites. 
D) All of the above D

Question 2

At present, what is the primary way that astronomers carry out SETI programs (that is, search for extraterrestrial intelligence)?

Accepted Answer

A) by using radio telescopes to search for signals from extraterrestrial civilizations 
B) by analyzing high- resolution images of nearby stars in search artificial structures 
C) by analyzing the spectra of extra- solar planets in an attempt to detect oxygen 
D) by searching for planets around distant stars 
E) by using X- ray telescopes to search for signals from extraterrestrial civilizations 
A) by using radio telescopes to search for signals from extraterrestrial civilizations 
B) by analyzing high- resolution images of nearby stars in search artificial structures 
C) by analyzing the spectra of extra- solar planets in an attempt to detect oxygen 
D) by searching for planets around distant stars 
E) by using X- ray telescopes to search for signals from extraterrestrial civilizations A

Question 3

Which of the following is not considered crucial for life to exist on some world?

Accepted Answer

A) an atmosphere 
B) a source of nutrients 
C) a source of energy that can be used by life 
D) liquid water 
A) an atmosphere 
B) a source of nutrients 
C) a source of energy that can be used by life 
D) liquid water A

Question 4

Relativistic time- dilation means that astronauts aboard a spaceship traveling close to the speed of light will actually age less than their families left behind on the Earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Which of the following describes a major danger of interstellar travel at near- light speed?

Accepted Answer

A) Time dilation will slow the heart beats of the crew to a dangerously low rate. 
B) Any interstellar journey will take much longer than the lives of the crew members. 
C) Asteroid fields floating in interstellar space will present a navigational challenge. 
D) Atoms and ions in interstellar space will hit a fast- moving spacecraft like a flood of dangerous cosmic rays. 
A) Time dilation will slow the heart beats of the crew to a dangerously low rate. 
B) Any interstellar journey will take much longer than the lives of the crew members. 
C) Asteroid fields floating in interstellar space will present a navigational challenge. 
D) Atoms and ions in interstellar space will hit a fast- moving spacecraft like a flood of dangerous cosmic rays.

Question 6

Science Fiction as a Driver of Science? This chapter, more than any other in the book, involves familiar themes of science fiction: space travel, extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrial intelligence, and more. Give and discuss two concepts that started out as science fiction but ended up as science fact. Give and discuss an example of an idea from science fiction that will likely never be realized as science fact. Do you think that the rise in popularity of science fiction (Star Trek, Star Wars, and others)has increased or decreased the general public's understanding of science? Explain.

Accepted Answer

Two concepts that started out as science

Question 7

Suppose that Jupiter had never existed, and there was no planet in our solar system between Mars and Saturn. How would we expect this to have affected Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) Earth's orbit would have been unstable, and our planet would have spiraled into the Sun. 
B) There would be no water on Earth. 
C) Earth would have been hit by many more comet impacts. 
D) There would not have been any effect, since Jupiter is in the outer solar system and Earth is in the inner solar system. 
A) Earth's orbit would have been unstable, and our planet would have spiraled into the Sun. 
B) There would be no water on Earth. 
C) Earth would have been hit by many more comet impacts. 
D) There would not have been any effect, since Jupiter is in the outer solar system and Earth is in the inner solar system.

Question 8

If we detected an Earth- like planet in the habitable zone around another star, how might we learn whether it harbored life?

Accepted Answer

Future technology (such as large space-

Question 9

The figure above shows the geological times scale. Humans have existed for approximately of the Earth's history.

Accepted Answer

A) 10 % 
B) 0)1 % 
C) 1 % 
D) 50% 
A) 10 % 
B) 0)1 % 
C) 1 % 
D) 50%

Question 10

The analysis of Martian meteorites found on the Earth show that they contain

Accepted Answer

A) fossilized remains of small, mammal- like creatures. 
B) fossilized remains of multi- cellular insects. 
C) bacteria with DNA closely related to bacteria on Earth. 
D) only tantalizing hints of possible life. 
E) bacteria with DNA very different from bacteria on Earth. 
A) fossilized remains of small, mammal- like creatures. 
B) fossilized remains of multi- cellular insects. 
C) bacteria with DNA closely related to bacteria on Earth. 
D) only tantalizing hints of possible life. 
E) bacteria with DNA very different from bacteria on Earth.

Question 11

How does the Kepler mission plan to detect Earth- like planets around other stars?

Accepted Answer

A) by measuring the Doppler shift in spectral lines as the central star is tugged to and fro by the planet 
B) by measuring the slight shift in position of the central star as it is tugged to and fro by the planet 
C) by directly imaging the planet in the infrared 
D) by observing the spectrum of the planet 
E) by observing the slight dip in brightness of the central star as the planet transits 
A) by measuring the Doppler shift in spectral lines as the central star is tugged to and fro by the planet 
B) by measuring the slight shift in position of the central star as it is tugged to and fro by the planet 
C) by directly imaging the planet in the infrared 
D) by observing the spectrum of the planet 
E) by observing the slight dip in brightness of the central star as the planet transits

Question 12

Which of the following best describes natural selection?

Accepted Answer

A) It is the idea that organisms with genetic traits that improve their ability to reproduce are more likely to pass those traits on to future generations. 
B) It is a guess made by scientists about how life develops, but it has no hard evidence to support it. 
C) It is the idea that the strong survive and the weak die off. 
D) It is the idea that organisms naturally increase in complexity and intelligence with time. 
A) It is the idea that organisms with genetic traits that improve their ability to reproduce are more likely to pass those traits on to future generations. 
B) It is a guess made by scientists about how life develops, but it has no hard evidence to support it. 
C) It is the idea that the strong survive and the weak die off. 
D) It is the idea that organisms naturally increase in complexity and intelligence with time.

Question 13

Briefly explain the meaning of each term in the equation Number of Civilizations = NHP × flife × fcivilization × fnow.

Accepted Answer

NHP is the number of planets in the Milk

Question 14

Based on DNA studies, it seems that all life on Earth _ .

Accepted Answer

A) requires oxygen to survive 
B) belongs to one of just two kingdoms: plants and animals 
C) shares a common ancestor 
D) arose from one of five distinct ancestors that lived about two billion years ago 
A) requires oxygen to survive 
B) belongs to one of just two kingdoms: plants and animals 
C) shares a common ancestor 
D) arose from one of five distinct ancestors that lived about two billion years ago

Question 15

Generalizing from a Single Example: Many would argue that our concept of life and intelligence is severely limited by the fact that we have only the "single example" of the Earth. Do you agree with this view (address the questions of life and intelligence separately)? To what extent do you feel that the search for extraterrestrial life is biased by the example of life on the Earth? Does the search for extraterrestrial intelligent life suffer more or less from the same bias?

Accepted Answer

I agree that our concept of life and int

Question 16

Why are relatively few details known about the life that existed on Earth prior to a few hundred million years ago?

Accepted Answer

A) Many rocks have been transformed by high heat and pressure, destroying any fossils they contained. 
B) Older rocks are more rare than younger rocks because of geologic processes like subduction. 
C) Nearly all life at that time was microscopic, making it much more difficult to identify. 
D) All of the above 
A) Many rocks have been transformed by high heat and pressure, destroying any fossils they contained. 
B) Older rocks are more rare than younger rocks because of geologic processes like subduction. 
C) Nearly all life at that time was microscopic, making it much more difficult to identify. 
D) All of the above

Question 17

If they existed, and if they were watching, a civilization at the center of the Milky Way could have detected our first TV signals by now.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

The figure above shows the geological times scale. Humanity's technological society has existed for approximately _ of the Earth's history.

Accepted Answer

A) 0)1 % 
B) 20% 
C) 0)00001 % 
D) 10 % 
A) 0)1 % 
B) 20% 
C) 0)00001 % 
D) 10 %

Question 19

Evolution as a Scientific Theory: Detractors often dismiss evolution by emphasizing the role randomness plays in the theory. They argue that a living creature (such as a human being)is about as likely to have evolved by random chance as a Boeing 747 airplane is of being assembled by a tornado flying through a junkyard. Explain why this vivid analogy is nevertheless fundamentally flawed by correctly explaining the role that randomness plays in the theory of evolution.

Accepted Answer

The analogy comparing the likelihood of

Question 20

At present, what is the primary way that the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI)is carried out?

Accepted Answer

A) by searching for planets around distant stars 
B) by using X- ray telescopes to search for exhaust from interstellar spacecraft 
C) by seeking access to the secret records and alien corpses kept at the military's Area 51 in Nevada 
D) by analyzing high- resolution images of nearby stars in search of evidence for structures that could not have developed naturally 
E) by using radio telescopes to search for signals from extraterrestrial civilizations 
A) by searching for planets around distant stars 
B) by using X- ray telescopes to search for exhaust from interstellar spacecraft 
C) by seeking access to the secret records and alien corpses kept at the military's Area 51 in Nevada 
D) by analyzing high- resolution images of nearby stars in search of evidence for structures that could not have developed naturally 
E) by using radio telescopes to search for signals from extraterrestrial civilizations

Which observation(s)and/or experiment(s)demonstrate ways that the chemical building blocks of life (amino acids and DNA bases)could have originated on the early Earth?

At present, what is the primary way that astronomers carry out SETI programs (that is, search for extraterrestrial intelligence)?

Which of the following is not considered crucial for life to exist on some world?

Relativistic time- dilation means that astronauts aboard a spaceship traveling close to the speed of light will actually age less than their families left behind on the Earth.

Which of the following describes a major danger of interstellar travel at near- light speed?

Suppose that Jupiter had never existed, and there was no planet in our solar system between Mars and Saturn. How would we expect this to have affected Earth?

If we detected an Earth- like planet in the habitable zone around another star, how might we learn whether it harbored life?

The figure above shows the geological times scale. Humans have existed for approximately of the Earth's history.

The analysis of Martian meteorites found on the Earth show that they contain

How does the Kepler mission plan to detect Earth- like planets around other stars?

Which of the following best describes natural selection?

Briefly explain the meaning of each term in the equation Number of Civilizations = NHP × flife × fcivilization × fnow.

Based on DNA studies, it seems that all life on Earth _ .

Why are relatively few details known about the life that existed on Earth prior to a few hundred million years ago?

If they existed, and if they were watching, a civilization at the center of the Milky Way could have detected our first TV signals by now.

The figure above shows the geological times scale. Humanity's technological society has existed for approximately _ of the Earth's history.

At present, what is the primary way that the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI)is carried out?

A Modern View of the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

The Science of Astronomy

Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

Light: the Cosmic Messenger

Formation of the Solar System

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet System

Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Other Planetary Systems: the New Science of Distant Worlds

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

A Universe of Galaxies

The Birth of the Universe

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

Filters

Exam 19: Life in the Universe

Which observation(s)and/or experiment(s)demonstrate ways that the chemical building blocks of life (amino acids and DNA bases)could have originated on the early Earth?

At present, what is the primary way that astronomers carry out SETI programs (that is, search for extraterrestrial intelligence)?

Which of the following is not considered crucial for life to exist on some world?

Relativistic time- dilation means that astronauts aboard a spaceship traveling close to the speed of light will actually age less than their families left behind on the Earth.

Which of the following describes a major danger of interstellar travel at near- light speed?

Suppose that Jupiter had never existed, and there was no planet in our solar system between Mars and Saturn. How would we expect this to have affected Earth?

If we detected an Earth- like planet in the habitable zone around another star, how might we learn whether it harbored life?

The figure above shows the geological times scale. Humans have existed for approximately of the Earth's history.

The analysis of Martian meteorites found on the Earth show that they contain

How does the Kepler mission plan to detect Earth- like planets around other stars?

Which of the following best describes natural selection?

Briefly explain the meaning of each term in the equation Number of Civilizations = NHP × flife × fcivilization × fnow.

Based on DNA studies, it seems that all life on Earth _ .

Why are relatively few details known about the life that existed on Earth prior to a few hundred million years ago?

If they existed, and if they were watching, a civilization at the center of the Milky Way could have detected our first TV signals by now.

The figure above shows the geological times scale. Humanity's technological society has existed for approximately _ of the Earth's history.

At present, what is the primary way that the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI)is carried out?

A Modern View of the Universe

Discovering the Universe for Yourself

The Science of Astronomy

Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

Light: the Cosmic Messenger

Formation of the Solar System

Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Jovian Planet System

Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

Other Planetary Systems: the New Science of Distant Worlds

Our Star

Surveying the Stars

Star Stuff

The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

Our Galaxy

A Universe of Galaxies

The Birth of the Universe

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

Filters