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29 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Be able to list some characteristics of living things that are NOT shared by non-living things. Also be able to list some characteristics of living things that are also shared by non-living things.
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- Possess an information molecule (DNA is digital)
- Separate self from other * Fiercely protect their DNA * Maintain order and homeostasis for the DNA - Need energy to fight entropy * To protect and promote the DNA - Reproduce "themselves" * Only as a vehicle to pass on the DNA they host - Evolve by natural selection (of DNA) * Because... replication of the molecule is imperfect |
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What is the difference between digital and analog information systems and how does this relate to life’s information molecule, DNA?
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- Information recorded in digital is recorded in pulses (binary with computers or quadinary with DNA)
- Analog is continuous recording on the actual media. - Digital is transferable |
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What is entropy? Why must all living organisms fight entropy and how do they do it?
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- Disorder in the universe that always increases.
- Life is highly organized. - Living things must direct a stream of negative entropy upon themselves to create and maintain order - Life borrows energy from the Sun - Overall, however, entropy in the Universe always increases |
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How does the sun enable living organisms to fight entropy?
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Short wavelength photons radiated into space by the Sun (HIGH ENERGY)
Photo Synthetic organisms on earth harvest high energy photons and convert them into chemical energy in the form of starch Earth re-radiates "leftover" photons at long wavelengths (LOW ENERGY) NOTE TO SELF: Look deeper into this. Answer doesn't seem enough. |
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Draw out and explain Sun's 10 Billion Year Cycle
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* Radiation released: "holds the Sun up"
* Sun Collapses by Gravity - This happens when the core is just Iron and it takes more energy to fuse to higher elements than is available... so gravity takes takes over and everything goes towards the core... which increases pressure & temperature * High Temp & Pressure in Core * Nuclear Fusion |
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Draw out & explain entropy
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Short wavelength photons radiated into space by the Sun (HIGH ENERGY)
Photo Synthetic organisms on earth harvest high energy photons and convert them into chemical energy in the form of starch Earth re-radiates "leftover" photons at long wavelengths (LOW ENERGY) NOTE TO SELF: In slide 7, why does entropy increase over time? Maybe it's because with more energy, things move more which causes disorder (as is the case with gases) |
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In class, I told a story about a man who sought out Buddha because he needed help in solving some of his problems. What did Buddha tell him? What was this man’s 84th problem and how did Buddha help him solve it?
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Found this page: http://www.phpsolvent.com/wordpress/?p=135
"Your 84th problem was that you don't want to have any problems" NOTE TO SELF: I don't know how Buddha helped him solve his prob. The stories online end with Buddha telling the farmer that his 84th problem is that he doesn't want any problems. |
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What is Dr. Suess’ magical kingdom of Solla Sollew and why can we never get there?
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Where there aren't any problems or else just a few
Can't get there if accept the world as it NOTE TO SELF: If the second part to the answer is correct |
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Richard Dawkins says that life is nothing more than a stream of digital information that changes over time. Why do you think he says this?
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Richard Dawkins says this because DNA is a form of digital information and most organisms have come to be via evolution/changing of this DNA.
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What four things does life need to arise from non-living matter?
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Space, time & matter
Certain key elements: hydrogen, oxygen and carbon A stable energy source A relatively stable environment |
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According to the Big Bang Theory, how long ago did the Universe come into being? What exactly came into being at that time?
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13.7 billion years ago
Time, space and matter ALL came into existence with this event NOTE TO SELF: This makes no sense. I can understand that matter might come into existence at that point (since E =mc2) but how would space & time come into existence at this point? |
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Scientists believe that space is expanding but it’s not expanding into anything. Explain!
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All we can really say is that space and time are both increasing
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What happened approximately 300,000 years after the Big Bang?
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* Protons captured electrons to form the first simple atoms
* Hydrogen (H) is the simplest element: one proton (and usually no neutrons) * Helium (He) is the next simplest: 2 protons and usually 2 neutrons * A small amount of Lithium (Li) and Beryllium (Be) atoms also formed soon after the Big Bang * All elements with higher molecular weights were created later, due to nuclear fusion in the cores of stars or via supernova explosions of massive stars. |
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What 4 elements were “created” in the Big Bang? Which element (by far) was most predominant?
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Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium & Beryllium were created in the Big Bang
Hydrogen is the predominant element. NOTE TO SELF: Confirm second part |
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Which element is currently the most predominant in the Universe?
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NOTE TO SELF: dunno answer
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What happened approximately 600,000,000 years after the Big Bang?
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The first generation of hydrogen and helium gas clouds fell together by gravity to form the first stars
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What elements were present in the “first generation” of stars that formed after the Big Bang? Could they have had planets? If so, what kind?
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Early stars were comprised entirely of H & He (with traces of Li & Be) and had no rocky planets
They might have had gaseous planets like our own outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune) |
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How many stars are in a typical galaxy like our Milky Way? How far across is the Milky Way (in light years)?
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Hundreds of billions of stars are in a typical galaxy
A galaxy can stretch hundreds of thousands of light years |
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How long does it take light to travel one light year?
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One year?
NOTE TO SELF: Ask Colin if this is a trick question |
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Why is the sun hot?
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Fusion reactions occurring in the Sun, give off lots of energy. With more energy, atoms/molecules more faster but are forced to remain close to each other due to the gravitational effect of the Suns core. This causes the temperature to increase, which causes levels of radiation to increase and the star to be pushed outward, maintaining it's size.
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Is the Sun (our star) a small, medium-sized, or large star? Why is this important for the ability of life to evolve on Earth? (Can life evolve on planets around very large stars? Why or why not?)
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The Sun is a medium star. It is important for the ability to life to evolve on Earth because when hydrogen becomes depleted, it converts helium into carbon and oxygen. These two are critical to life as we know it.
Life cannot evolve on planets around very large stars because they would burn out before life evolved. NOTE TO SELF: Ask if this is correct. |
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How are new elements in the Universe created? (Be able to list 2 ways.)
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Nuclear fusion and Supernova's
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Why do very massive stars explode at the end of their life cycles (supernovas)? What’s special about the element iron?
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They explode at the end of their life cycles because their entire core becomes iron and it takes additional energy to for a fusion reaction to convert to higher elements. At this point, gravity takes over. When the atoms become super-tightly packed, electromagnetic forces causes a massive explosion.
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Could life have evolved in a Universe without supernovas? Explain.
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No. Elements would not have been dispersed without supernovas.
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What is a neutron star? A black hole?
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A neutron star or black hole is created in the place of where the core of a star had once been when there is a sudden and massive collapse of the core of a star.
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How old in our solar system?
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5 billion years old
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What is the nebular hypothesis?
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A slowly rotating cloud of gas and dust collapsed by gravity and began to spin faster because of the conservation of angular momentum.
The collapsing, spinning nebular began to flatten into a rotating pancake. As the nebula collapsed further, local regions began to contract gravitationally on their own because of instabilities in the collapsing, rotating cloud. |
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How does the Earth’s magnetic field (caused by the spinning of its molten iron core) protect the Earth’s atmosphere?
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Earth's magnetic field caused by the spinning of its molten iron core helps bend the solar radiation headed towards Earth from the sun.
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Be able to list at least 4 of the gasses that were present in Earth’s early atmosphere.
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* Nitrogen and its oxides
* Water vapor (huge amounts; later condensed into oceans) * Carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide * Methane * Sulfur dioxide * Hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen cyanide * Virtually no oxygen |
