Chapter 18 Life in the Universe

1. Chapter 18Life in the Universe • We, this people, on a small and lonely planet • Travelling through casual space • Past aloof stars, across the way of indifferent suns • To a destination where all signs tell us • It is possible and imperative that we learn • A brave and startling truth. • — Maya Angelou

2. 18.1 Life on Earth Our goals for learning • When did life arise on Earth? • How did life arise on Earth? • What are the necessities of life?

3. When did life arise on Earth? • Probably before 3.85 billion years ago. • Shortly after end of heavy bombardment, 4.2-3.9 billion years ago. • Evidence from fossils, carbon isotopes. 2 billion years…

4. Fossil evidence… Geological time scales • relative ages: deeper layers formed earlier. • absolute ages: radiometric dating (Ch. 6.4)

5. Fossil evidence for microbes 3.5 billion years ago • Already fairly complex life (photosynthesis), suggesting much earlier origin. • Carbon isotope evidence pushes origin to before 3.85 billion years ago.

6. The Geological Time Scale

7. How did life arise on Earth? • Life evolves through time. • All life on Earth shares a common ancestry. • We may never know exactly how the first organism arose, but laboratory experiments suggest plausible scenarios.

8. The Theory of Evolution • The fossil record shows that evolution has occurred through time. • Darwin’s theory tells us HOW evolution occurs: through natural selection. • Theory supported by discovery of DNA: evolution proceeds through mutations.

9. Mapping genetic relationships has led biologists to discover this new “tree of life.” • Plants and animals are a small part of the tree. • Suggests likely characteristics of common ancestor

10. These genetic studies suggest that the earliest life on Earth may have resembled the bacteria today found near deep ocean volcanic vents (black smokers) and geothermal hot springs .

11. Laboratory experiments allow us to investigate possible pathways to the origin of life. Miller-Urey experiment (and more recent experiments): • Building blocks of life form easily and spontaneously under conditions of early Earth.

12. Microscopic, enclosed membranes or “pre-cells” have been created in the lab.

13. Chemicals to Life? Maybe this is how it happened…

14. Could life have migrated to Earth? • Venus, Earth, Mars have exchanged tons of rock (blasted into orbit by impacts) • Some microbes can survive years in space...

15. Brief History of Life • 4.4 billion years - early oceans form • 3.5 billion years - cyanobacteria start releasing oxygen. • 2.0 billion years - oxygen begins building up in atmosphere • 540-500 million years - Cambrian Explosion • 225-65 million years - dinosaurs and small mammals (dinosaurs ruled) • Few million years - earliest hominids

16. Thought Question You have a time machine with a dial that you can spinto send you randomly to any time in Earth’s history. If you spin the dial, travel through time, and walk out, what is most likely to happen to you? You’ll be eaten by dinosaurs. You’ll suffocate because you’ll be unable to breathe the air. You’ll be consumed by toxic bacteria. Nothing: you’ll probably be just fine.

17. Thought Question You have a time machine with a dial that you can spinto send you randomly to any time in Earth’s history. If you spin the dial, travel through time, and walk out, what is most likely to happen to you? You’ll be eaten by dinosaurs. You’ll suffocate because you’ll be unable to breathe the air. You’ll be consumed by toxic bacteria. Nothing: you’ll probably be just fine.

18. Hardest to find on other planets What are the necessities of life? • Nutrient source • Energy (sunlight, chemical reactions, internal heat) • Liquid water (or possibly some other liquid)

19. What have we learned? • When did life arise on Earth? • Fossil evidence puts the origin of life at least 3.5 billion years ago, and carbon isotope evidence pushes this date to more than 3.85 billion years ago. Thus, life arose within a few hundred million years after the last major impact of the heavy bombardment, and possibly in a much shorter time.

20. What have we learned? • How did life arise on Earth? • Genetic evidence suggests that all life on Earth evolved from a common ancestor, and this ancestor was probably similar to microbes that live today in hot water near undersea volcanic vents or hot springs. We do not know how this first organism arose, but laboratory experiments suggest that it may have been the result of natural chemical processes on the early Earth.

21. What have we learned? • What are the necessities of life? • Life on Earth thrives in a wide range of environments, and in general seems to require only three things: a source of nutrients, a source of energy, and liquid water.

22. 18.2 Life in the Solar System Our goals for learning • Could there be life on Mars? • Could there be life on Europa or other jovian moons?

23. Could there be life on Mars? • Mars had liquid water in the distant past • Still has subsurface ice; possibly subsurface water near sources of volcanic heat.

24. In 2004, NASA Spirit and Opportunity Rovers sent home new mineral evidence of past liquid water on Mars.

25. Close-up view of rock apparently formed in water.

26. The Martian Meteorite debate composition indicates origin on Mars. • 1984: meteorite ALH84001 found in Antarctica • 13,000 years ago: fell to Earth in Antarctica • 16 million years ago: blasted from surface of Mars • 4.5 billion years ago: rock formed on Mars

27. Does the meteorite contain fossil evidence of life on Mars?

28. Could there be life on Europa or other jovian moons?

29. Ganymede, Callisto also show some evidence for subsurface oceans. • Relatively little energy available for life, but still… • Intriguing prospect of THREE potential homes for life around Jupiter alone… Ganymede Callisto

30. Titan • Surface too cold for liquid water (but deep underground?) • Liquid ethane/methane on surface? • Huygens probe descent, Jan. 2005

31. What have we learned? • Could there be life on Mars? • Mars once had conditions that may have been conducive to an origin of life. If life arose, it might still survive in pockets of liquid water underground.

32. What have we learned? • Could there be life on Europa or other jovian moons? • Europa probably has a subsurface ocean of liquid water, and may have undersea volcanoes on its ocean floor. If so, it has conditions much like those in which life on Earth probably arose, making it a good candidate for life beyond Earth. Ganymede and Callisto might have oceans as well. Titan may have other liquids on its surface, though it is too cold for liquid water. Perhaps life can survive in these other liquids, or perhaps Titan has liquid water deep underground.

33. 18.3 Life Around Other Stars Our goals for learning • Are habitable planets likely? • Are Earth-like planets rare or common?

34. Are habitable planets likely? Definition: A habitable world contains the basic necessities for life as we know it, including liquid water. • It does not necessarily have life. Caveat: Telescopically we can search only for planets with habitable surfaces — not for worlds with Europa-like subsurface oceans.

35. Constraints on star systems: • Old enough to allow time for evolution (rules out high-mass stars - 1%) • Need to have stable orbits (might rule out binary/multiple star systems - 50%) • Size of “habitable zone”: region in which a planet of the right size could have liquid water on its surface. Even so… billions of stars in the Milky Way seem at least to offer the possibility of habitable worlds.

36. The more massive the star, the larger the habitable zone — higher probability of a planet in this zone.

37. Finding them will be hard Recall our scale model solar system: • Looking for an Earthlike planet around a nearby star is like standing on the East Coast of the United States and looking for a pinhead on the West Coast — with a VERY bright grapefruit nearby. • But new technologies should soon show the way…

38. Kepler (2007 launch) will monitor 100,000 stars for transit events for 4 years. Later: SIM (2009?), TPF (2015?): interferometers to obtain spectra and crude images of Earth-size planets.

39. Spectral signatures of life Venus oxygen/ozone Earth Mars

40. Are Earth-like planets rare or common? • Galactic “habitable zone”: minimum limits on heavy element abundance, distance from galactic center? • Jupiter protection from frequent impacts? • Climate stabilized by a large Moon and plate tectonics? We don’t yet know how important or negligible these concerns are.

41. What have we learned? • Are habitable planets likely? • Billions of stars have at least moderatesize habitable zones in which life bearing planets might exist. We do not yet have the technology to search for habitable planets directly, but several planned missions should be able to begin the search soon.

42. What have we learned? • Are Earth-like planets rare or common? • We don’t know. Arguments can be made on both sides of the question, and we lack the data to determine their validity at present.

43. 18.4 The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Our goals for learning • How many civilizations are out there? • How does SETI work?

44. How many civilizations are out there? The Drake Equation Number of civilizations with whom we could potentially communicate= NHP flifefcivfnow NHP = total # of habitable planets in galaxy flife = fraction of habitable planets with life fciv = fraction of life-bearing planets w/ civilization at some time fnow = fraction of civilizations around now.

45. We do not know the values for the Drake Equation NHP : probably billions. flife : ??? Hard to say (near 0 or near 1) fciv : ??? It took 4 billion years on Earth fnow : ??? Can civilizations survive long-term?

46. Are we “off the chart” smart?

47. How does SETI work? Looking for deliberate signals from E.T.

48. We’ve even sent a few signals ourselves… Earth to globular cluster M13: Hoping we’ll hearback in about 42,000 years!

49. Your computer can help! SETI @ Home: a screensaver with a purpose.

50. What have we learned? • How many civilizations are out there? • We don’t know, but the Drake equation gives us a way to organize our thinking about the question. The equation (in a modified form) says that the number of civilizations in the Milky Way Galaxy with whom we could potentially communicate is where is the number of habitable planets in the galaxy, is the fraction of habitable planets that actually have life on them, is the fraction of life-bearing planets upon which a civilization capable of interstellar communication has at some time arisen, and is the fraction of all these civilizations that exist now.