SC300 Big Ideas in ScienceUnit 9: Life Out There?

Prof. Christopher Herren

CHerren@kaplan.edu

AIM: DrChrisHerren

Agenda

1. Incomplete requests

2. Unit 9 Outline

3. The Universe

4. Extraterrestrial Life

5. SETI

6. Q & A

Unit 9 Final Project

Incomplete requests

• An ‘Incomplete’ allows limited additional time to complete coursework after the term’s end.

• You should have completed 75% of the coursework.

• Requests for an Incomplete, with a detailed explanation why, must be made by email to your instructor by Monday, May 23, 2011.

• All class work must be completed by June 10, 2011.

• See the KU catalog for further information.

Unit 9: Extraterrestrial Intelligence

• Read chapter 23 about genetics and reread chapter 1 (pp. 17-19) about SETI and scientific research.

• Discuss the randomness of DNA point mutations and their consequences.

• Science Meets Real Life Final Project exploring how you apply different aspects of science in your daily life.

• Seminar will discuss the search for extraterrestrial life!

The Universe

• There are 100 - 200 billion galaxies in the entire universe…

• with billions of stars per galaxy…

• that’s 1022 - 1024 stars in the entire universe!!

• Only 429 exoplanets known

Image credit: http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM75BS1VED_index_1.html

The Universe

• If 1022 - 1024 stars…

• each have an average of 3 planets…

• that’s 3x1022 - 1024 planets in the entire universe.

• If the chance of extraterrestrial life is only 1 in a trillion, then there should be 30 billion to 3 trillion living planets!!

Image credit: http://www.daviddarling.info/images/alien_lifeform.gif

Extraterrestrial Life

Image credit: http://blogs.ajc.com/jeff-schultz-blog/files/2009/06/orson-wells-mtota-war-of-the-worlds.jpeg

Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence

• SETI uses light, radio, and microwave telescopes to search the universe for unnatural signals from space.

• SETI (1959 - 1993) was an informal association of NASA, various universities, and astronomy institutes.

• SETI (1993 - 1994) was a U.S. government funded intensive look for extraterrestrial intelligence.

• SETI (1995 - present) is again an informal association of NASA, various universities, and astronomy institutes.

SETI Radio Telescopes

• Arecibo Observatory

• Arecibo, Puerto Rico

• 1,001 ft. radio telescope

• largest in world

Image credit: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/1999/ast23may99_1/

SETI Farms

Image credit: http://www.tonyrogers.com/news/images/seti_farm.jpghttp://images.astronet.ru/pubd/2006/11/29/0001218189/vla2_nrao.jpg

SETI@home

• Uses the Volunteer Computing Concept with home PCs being used together to do supercomputer-sized work at night.

Image credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SETI@Home_Logo.svg

What do you think…

Most SETI projects involve surveying the sky with massive radio and optical telescopes that are designed to listen and watch for signals that are made up of non-random patterns.

1.What do you think scientists expect to find through SETI and SETI@home?

What do you think…

2. Why do you think NASA chose to eliminate funding for SETI in the 1990s?

What do you think…

3. Do you believe SETI and SETI@home are worthwhile projects?

Why?

What do you think…

4. What outcome(s) do you think will result from SETI and SETI@home?

SETI Possible Discovery

• Ohio State University SETI program gained fame on August 15, 1977 when a startlingly strong signal received by the telescope.

Image credit: The Ohio State University Radio Observatory and the North American AstroPhysical Observatory (NAAPO)

SETI@home Possible Discovery

• September 1, 2004

• Radio source SHGb02+14a

Image credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SETI@Home_Logo.svg

Beyond SETI: Darwin Constellation

• Darwin was a proposed constellation of 4 - 9 space telescopes cancelled in 2007.

• The idea is that if ozone, liquid water, and carbon dioxide are found together, it’s a very strong indicator of life.

Image credit: http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMGUXS1VED_index_0.html

Beyond SETI: METI

• not Searcing, but Messaging…• Transmissions currently on route:

1. Arecibo Message (1974)

2. Cosmic Call 1 (1999)

3. Teen Age Message (2001)

4. Cosmic Call 2 (2003)

5. A Message From Earth (2008)• In 2029, a message will reach the Gliese 581

system; 87th closest star system with >4 planets.

Image credit: http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/20/images/radio.GIF

Gliese 581 & Goldilocks Zone

Image credit: http://www.hellofromearth.net/img/stories/Gliese%20581d%20habitable%20BEST.jpg

Image credit: http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/121/9/a/Gliese_581_c_by_groovychk.jpg

Gliese 581 & Goldilocks Zone

Image credit: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_M5bBKfTxp6s/R1SGnkCfZOI/AAAAAAAAALM/OJRjoGyV6fI/s1600-R/05-03-07-Cartoon-CLR.gif

Extraterrestrial Life

Why would they want to talk with us?

Image credit: http://www.cartoonstock.com/

Questions?

Image credit: Microsoft Clip Art

Unit 9 Final Project (250 points)

• Unit 9 Final Project due by 11:59 PM ET, Tuesday, May 24, 2011.

• NO LATE FINAL PROJECTS ACCEPTED!

• Explain everything in detail. Don’t assume I already know what you mean.

• Support your explanations with referenced information. Science is about verifiable facts.

Unit 9 Final Project (250 points)

Image credit http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_scientific_method.shtml

• Part I: 2 Scenarios to address with the Scientific Method

• USE THE METHOD STEP-BY-STEP.

• Clearly state hypothesis.

• A hypothesis is a If…then statement, not a question.

• Part II: 5 topics about Science in your life

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

5-stepScientificMethod

Unit 9 Final Project (250 points)

• 1,500 words minimum

• Informative Essay:

1. introduction

2. body

3. conclusion

4. references

• APA format

• Find good references!!

Unit 9 Final Project (250 points)

• Part I Scientific Method

1. Scenario 1: You arrive home late at night. You walk up to the front door, unlock it, and reach in to turn on the light switch located just inside the front door. The light does not come on! Now what?

2. Scenario 2: Develop your own detailed problem/observation and apply the scientific method to solve.

Unit 9 Final Project (250 points)

• Part II Why I Cannot Live With/Without Science

1. Describe a typical day & specifically point out how science impacted it.

2. How has science improved your quality of life and explain why?

3. What are the negative impacts of science and explain why?

4. Could you survive without science and explain why or why not?

5. How has this course impacted the way you view science?

SC300 Writing Method Checklist

body paragraphs addressing all topics (3-5 sentences) lead-out conclusion paragraph (3-5 sentences) lead-in introduction paragraph (3-5 sentences) & thesis sentence minimum 1,500 word count reference page (author, date, title, date retrieved, website) internal citations for every reference transition sentences for every paragraph title page (running title, title, name, university) running title in upper left-hand corner of every page page number in upper right-hand corner of every page 1 font size & style throughout (including bibliography) double line spacing throughout (including bibliography)