Chapter 12 Concepts

Question 1

4 Reasons why water the best medium for the creation of biological materials.

(Liquid medium allows for the transportation of nutrients and biological material, but why water?)

Answer 1

1) Broad Temperature: 100 degree T range of liquid

2) High Temperature:
Higher temperature range for liquid form (quicker chemical reactions)

3) Ice Floats: which means that organisms could survive beneath an icy ocean surface.
4) Polarity: Imbalanced charge interacts with other molecules more strongly. Makes things easily dissolve.

Question 2

Why are the following Solar System bodies not able to support life: 
The Moon
Mercury
Venus
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune

Answer 2

Moon:
- No water /atmosphere

Mercury:
- No water / atmosphere

Venus:

• Water on venus is gaseous, making a heavier greenhouse effect…
• Too high atmospheric pressure (90x)
• Sulfuric acid rain would destroy biological material.

Mars:

• Sterile surface
• Warm interior may have a subterranean liquid content.

Jupiter:
- Vertical winds wouldn’t allow complex organic molecules to persist. They’d be carried to the hot depths.

Saturn:
- Vertical winds wouldn’t allow complex organic molecules to persist. They’d be carries to the hot depths.

Uranus:
- Too god damn cold.

Neptune:
- Again, fucking cold.

Question 3

Where in the Solar System could life survive? What conditions would support life?

Answer 3

Perhaps in Europa

Question 4

What are the pieces of evidence that Mars once maintained liquid water on its surface?

Answer 4

Blueberries

Question 5

What is the composition of a Jovian planet?

Answer 5

Rocky core surrounded by gas (hydrogen, helium, methane gas)