characteristics of life

Question 1

What is the typical range of environmental conditions necessary for life on Earth?

Answer 1

• temperature: -40 C to 50 C
• pH: 4-8
• pressure: 30 kpa to 10 000 kpa (101 kpa at sea level)
• oxygen present
• water present
• cardon dioxide present

Question 2

2. What are some (extreme) environments exploited by prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms?

Answer 2

• 3 examples of species
  Mt everst: bar head geese migrate through low oxygen environement of Everst. They do not live there, but can sustain it and live through it
• Atacuma desert, Chile: less than 1mm of rain per year. Driest place om Earth on average. Darkling beetles have behavioural adaptations to allow it to survive. It licks the water off its own body to get water
• Aractic ocean: water temperature is about -1.8C. Salanity allows for this and for the water to not freeze at this temperature. Ice fish do not need hemoglobin and can absorb oxygen through thir skin
• these organisms can withstand these environments and conditions but they do not require them

Question 3

. What characteristics would be associated with an exoplanet likely to have carbon-based life?***

Answer 3

• water
• temperature
• pressure
• oxygen and carbon dioxide rpesent

Question 4

4. Would finding life on another planet change our definition of ‘What is Life?’

Answer 4

we are oly exposed to/familiar with carbo based life. on other planets, carbon is not the main component of the atmosphere. Life on these planets would not be carbon based. This could lead us to the conclusion that carbon is not needed for life. it is needed for Earth life, but maybe not all life? This could also change the conditions that currently have for the sustainability of life. For example, maybe we could find an organism that is not carbon based that could withstand higher temperatures than organisms on earth