Astrobiology

An Integrated Science Approach

Course Outline:

Chapter 1: Cosmic Questions

The central questions of astrobiology are introduced to spark students’ thinking about the nature of life and life’s prospects in the universe. Also, the differences between scientific evidence and pseudoscience, data and metadata, are delineated.

• Activity 1: Mystery Message
• Activity 2: Puzzling Picture
• Activity 3: Every Picture Tells a Story
• Activity 4: Extraordinary Claims
• Activity 5: How Many Worlds Might Harbor Life?

Chapter 2: Worlds in Our Universe

Students learn about the structure of the universe. They study the planets in our solar system, various types of stars and galaxies, and the potential for habitable environments in other parts of theuniverse.

• Activity 1: How Well Do You Know the Worlds in Our Solar System?
• Activity 2: What Is the Scale of the Solar System?
• Activity 3: What Types of Stars are in Our Universe?
• Activity 4: The Life Stories of Two Stars
• Activity 5: What Types of Galaxies and Regions in Galaxies are Conducive to Life?
• Activity 6: How Many Galaxies Are Out There?

Chapter 3: Where Do Elements Come From?

Students discover that stars are the nuclear furnaces in which the elements and energy central to life are forged. They study the structure of atoms and elements and the forces that hold mattertogether.

• Activity 1: Searching for Micrometeorites
• Activity 2: The Fact of the Matter
• Activity 3: Modeling the Forces in an Atom
• Activity 4: The Nuclear Fusion Reaction Inside Stars
• Activity 5: Tracing Our Roots to Space

Chapter 4: What Is Life?

Students explore various living systems, from microbial gardens created in the classroom to natural habitats outside the classroom, to define a working definition of life and life’s minimum requirements for survival.

• Activity 1: Life, A Long-Term Observation
• Activity 2: Defining Life
• Activity 3: Identifying Life
• Activity 4: What Does Life Need for Survival?

Chapter 5: The Chemistry of Life

Students learn about some of the chemical reactions central to life on Earth and about the organization of elements on the periodic table. They see how certain elements can bond to form molecules that provide energy and the raw materials essential to life.

• Activity 1: From Elements to Life
• Activity 2: Photosynthesis
• Activity 3: Food and Raw Materials
• Activity 4: Energy and Essential Elements
• Activity 5: Carbon-based Life
• Activity 6: Alternatives to Carbon?

Chapter 6: Cellular Basis of Life

Students engage in an exploration of the cell, its amazing versatility, and its role as the fundamental unit of life. They also contrast prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

• Activity 1: Observing Cells
• Activity 2: From Prokaryotes to Eukaryotes
• Activity 3: On Being the Right Size
• Activity 4: Getting Small

Chapter 7: Evolution and Diversity

Students explore the process of natural selection and its role in the evolution and diversification of life on Earth.

• Activity 1: What Is Natural Selection?
• Activity 2: What Are Populations and How Do They Change?
• Activity 3: Are You Fit to Live Here?
• Activity 4: How Can One Kind of Creature Give Rise to Many Kinds?
• Activity 5: Where Did All the Life on Earth Come From?

Chapter 8: History of Life on Earth

Students explore pivotal events in Earth’s history, from the emergence of photosynthesis and the rise of oxygen levels to asteroid impacts and the resulting mass extinctions. They also examine the co-evolution of Earth and its biosphere.

• Activity 1: Timeline of Life on Earth
• Activity 2: Origins: The Beginning of Life
• Activity 3: Oxygen Changes Everything
• Activity 4: Impacts and Extinctions

Chapter 9: What Is Habitability?

Students identify essential habitability factors and develop a working definition of habitability. They test their ideas in several ways and ultimately try to determine which worlds in our solar system are candidates for simple and complex life.

• Activity 1: Habitability Concept Map
• Activity 2: Which Planets and/or Moons Are Candidates for Life?
• Activity 3: Worlds Within Termites
• Activity 4: Is the Moon Habitable?
• Activity 5: The Habitability of Radishes – An Astrobiology Research Experience

Chapter 10: Finding Energy and Raw Materials on Habitable Worlds

Students study the host of strategies that life has devised to meet its energy and raw material needs. Students gain insight into life’s adaptability and its ability to survive a wide range of conditions.

• Activity 1: Shedding Light on a Planet
• Activity 2: Testing the Inverse Square Law with Elodea
• Activity 3: Using Chemical Energy
• Activity 4: Redox Reactions and Energy for Life
• Activity 5: Looking at Energy and Carbon Sources

Chapter 11: Planetary Systems that Contribute to Habitability

Students investigate the reasons water is so central to life and whether it exists on Mars and Europa. They also examine planet-scale systems that regulate temperature and distribute materials essential to life, such as water, energy sources, and raw materials.

• Activity 1: Why is Water So Central to Life?
• Activity 2: Is There Water on Mars and Europa?
• Activity 3: How Does an Atmosphere Influence a Planet’s Habitability?
• Activity 4: What Is Density?
• Activity 5: How Do Planetary Cycles Influence Habitability?
• Activity 6: What Are the Habitable Zones in Our Solar System?

Chapter 12: Are There Habitable Worlds Elsewhere?

Students define habitable zones for different kinds of life and consider the likelihood of life in the solar system and the universe.

• Activity 1: Revisiting the Habitability Concept Map
• Activity 2: Extreme Life Card Game
• Activity 3: How Much Life Is There in the Universe?

Chapter 13: How Do We Search?

Students become familiar with the electromagnetic spectrum and examine how it helps us learn about the universe. They study its role in communication and remote sensing. Students also study how spectroscopy provides information on the nature and composition of objects in the universe.

• Activity 1: Can We Find a Signal?
• Activity 2: Riding the Wave
• Activity 3: Understanding the Electromagnetic Spectrum
• Activity 4: Cosmic Fingerprinting – Using Spectral Lines

Chapter 14: Searching for Extrasolar Planets

Students investigate the methods scientists use in looking for extrasolar planets—planets orbiting stars other than our sun.

• Activity 1: Observations of an Extrasolar Planet: Transit Method
• Activity 2: Observations of an Extrasolar Planet: Astrometry Method
• Activity 3: Observations of an Extrasolar Planet: Spectral Method

Chapter 15: Exploring Planets and Moons

Students explore the gathering of information about a planet or moon over time. Focusing on Mars, they consider different types and sources of data, such as infrared imagery and experiments on the surface, and how understanding of the planet matures with each discovery.

• Activity 1: Searching for Life
• Activity 2: A Case Study in Exploration: Mars
• Activity 3: Orbiters—Looking at the Martian Poles
• Activity 4: Landers—On the Martian Surface
• Activity 5: The Future—What Next on Mars?

Chapter 16: The End is the Beginning (choose one activity)

Students select one of four culminating activities that serve to synthesize and assess their understanding of basic science and astrobiology concepts they developed over the course of the year.

• Activity 1: Design an Astrobiology Mission
• Activity 2: Individual Research Project (Using Habitable Worlds)
• Activity 3: Writing an Astrobiology Science Fiction Story
• Activity 4: Creating Astrobiology Space Art

Astrobiology has a web site with resources and links used within the curriculum.