Transcript Document 7787410

Are we Alone in the Universe?
Searching for life on
other planets…
Nanobes
Life
Would you know it if you saw it?
A virus?
A. Yes
B. No
C. I don’t know?
Ebola virus
The potato that’s been in the cupboard
for 3 weeks?
A. Yes
B. No
C. I don’t know?
A human ovum (egg cell)?
A. Yes
B. No
C. I don’t know?
Blood?
A. Yes
B. No
C. I don’t know?
A embryo frozen at a fertility clinic?
A. Yes
B. No
C. I don’t know?
An apple seed?
A. Yes
B. No
C. I don’t know?
Your fingernails?
A. Yes
B. No
C. I don’t know?
Team think and share…
Determine which of these is alive and which is not.
Then together in your group, choose one that is definitely
alive and one that is not, and be prepared to defend/justify
your choices.
1. A virus
5. Frozen embryo
2. A potato that’s been in
your cupboard for 3
weeks
6. An apple seed
3. Human ovum (egg cell)
By “defend/justify”, I mean that
you should back up your
argument with prior knowledge
about what it means to be
alive!
4. Blood
7. Your fingernail
Team Think and Share…
Life: Would you know it if you saw it?
Imagine that you were asked to design an unmanned
probe to go to Mars (or some other planet) to search for
the existence of life. What “signs” of life might you design
the probe to look for?
Team discussion…
What do these discoveries (extremophiles
and nanobes) say about what we must
now consider in the search for life on
other worlds?
Share your ideas with your
teammates, reach consensus and
be justify them to the class.
Researching Learning Issues…
Do some research on the state of our knowledge with
respect to those characteristics that a scientist might be
looking in the search for extraterrestrial life. Be
prepared to share your research during the next class
period.