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| 1 | |
Describe why, in order to be considered living, an object must contain DNA or another substance that has the same capabilities. |
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| 2 | |
What properties of water are crucial to life on Earth? Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of ammonia and methyl alcohol versus water as liquids on which life might be based. |
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| 3 | |
The oceans of the early Earth probably contained high concentrations of organic molecules. Where did those molecules come from? |
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| 4 | |
How does the nebular theory differ from the catastrophic theories of the origin of the solar system with respect to its predictions about the rarity of other planetary systems? |
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| 5 | |
Why have attempts to find planets beyond the solar system concentrated on giant planets like Jupiter rather than terrestrial planets? |
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| 6 | |
What kind of observations were used to discover planets orbiting nearby stars like the Sun? |
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| 7 | |
Discuss the ways in which the recently discovered planetary systems are similar to and different from the solar system. |
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| 8 | |
Why does the habitable zone of a star change its location as time passes? |
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| 9 | |
What is the relationship between the length of time that life endures on a typical planet and the number of inhabited planets in the galaxy? |
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| 10 | |
Why does it follow that if our attempts at interstellar communication are likely to succeed, we are very likely to be the junior partners in the conversation? |
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| 11 | |
Suppose someone suggested that the "logical" frequencies at which to search for interstellar signals are precisely 1 or 10 GHz. Present an argument that there is nothing special or logical about those frequencies. |
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| 12 | |
If we discover life on other planets, how is human civilization likely to be affected? (There is no "correct" answer to this question, but it is an interesting subject for speculation.) |
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