LIVE INTERACTIVE LEARNING @ YOUR DESKTOP
Fingerprints of Life? Extremophiles:
It’s Just Right
Presented by: Rudo Kashiri
October 27, 2010
Presented by Rudo Kashiri
NASA Explorer Schools
Agenda
• Searching for Life education overview
• NASA Connection
• Astrobiology On-Line Resources
• Featured lesson: It’s Just Right
• Additional Classroom Activities
• NASA Education Online Network (NEON)
What’s essential for life?
1. Deprived of air, you would die within a A.)
few minutes B.) days C.) weeks.
2. Deprived of water, you would die within a
A.) few minutes B.) days C.) weeks.
3. Deprived of Food, you would die within a
A.) few minutes B.) days C.) weeks.
Question
What does it mean to say that finding a
habitable planet is sort of like the story of
Goldilocks?
[Raise your hand an then use a text box to
respond below]
NASA and NSF-Funded Research Finds
First Potentially Habitable Exoplanet
The discovery of a planet with
three times the mass of Earth
orbiting a nearby star at a
distance that places it
squarely in the middle of the
star's "habitable zone."
Image Credit: National Science
Foundation.
http://www.youtube.com/user/NASAtelevision#p/u/6/UqhkfIrJ_Ic
About product
y Grade level: 5-8
y Hands on Curriculum
y Objective
y Correlates to National science Standards (Life
Science)
y Resources- On-line Educators Guides
y Total Project length can take several class
periods but we are featuring one lesson
y Featured lesson: Extremophiles- It’s just Right
Astrobiology in your
classroom
BIG QUESTIONS
• What Defines “Life”?
• What Does Life Look Like?
• Where Is Life found?
• What Sustains Life?
What Defines “Life”?
Living
Non-living
Both
Let’s Pause for
Questions.
NASA CONNECTION
Scientists Search for Life
yWhy are scientists rethinking where life might be
found?
yMight Jupiter's moon Europa contain water
beneath the vast ice sheet that covers it?
yWhat types of life might be present on other
planets in other solar systems?
Where are scientists
looking for life?
solar
system
Meteorites
Solar Wind
A Look at NASA Research
Fingerprints of Life
Astromaterials
Research and
Exploration
Science (ARES)
http://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/ares/education
Fingerprints of life
What are biomarkers?
What do microbes need to live?
Astromaterials
Antarctica Meteorites
Genesis Solar Wind
Sample Collection
http://genesismission.jpl.nasa.gov/
Where are we looking for possible
past or present life on Mars? –
Why?
http://Curator.jsc.nasa.gov
Where is life found on earth?
Questions
y What is an extremophile?
y What are the environmental challenges
facing cave organisms?
y After learning about the conditions
under which extremophiles live, do you
think it is reasonable to argue that life
could probably exist on other planets?
Where is life found?
Yellowstone National Park
Acid Cave
Mono Lake
Salt Spring
(Canada)
Let’s Pause for
Questions.
Featured Lesson
http://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/education/websites/astrobiologyeducation/classact.htm
Poll Question
Have you ever done similar activities that
are related to searching of life?
A) yes
B) no
C) unsure
Goals for Activity
1. Introduces students to the
concept of life in extreme
environments.
2. The lesson examines how
temperature is related to
the growth and survival of
organisms.
Materials
3-4 students per group
y 4 small bottles
y
y 4 balloons
y
y 2 packages bakers
y
yeast
y basin filled with warm
tap water
y basin filled with ice
water
y 2 measuring spoons
y
y
Measuring cups
2-4 magnifying lens
metric rulers
3 thermometers
Heating source for
warm water
Lesson preparation
VOCABULARY
TERMS
y Metabolism
y Metabolism
y Microorganism
y Homeostasis
y Astrobiology
y Growth
y Extremophile
y Response to stimuli
y Prokaryote
y Reproduction
y Eukaryote
y Adaptation
y Bacteria
y Archae
Let’s Pause for
Questions.
Mars or Earth?
http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/education-and-outreach/products-andresources/astrobiology-education-poster/
Habitable Planets
kepler.nasa.gov/files/mws/HabitablePlanets.pdf
Planet Atmospheres
Choose the correct letter to identify the type of atmosphere
possessed by the group of planets.
1. Earth, Venus, and Mars
A. Thick B. None C. Thin
2. Mercury, Pluto, and the Moon
A. Thick B. None C. Thin
3. Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune
A. Thick B. None C. Thin
http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/
http://astrobio.terc.edu/samples/chpt12_act1.html
nai.arc.nasa.gov/library/downloads/ERG.pdf
Planet Sizes
Place the clip art picture next to the planet group, under the size
of those planets in the table.
√- Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune
@ - Mercury, Pluto, and the Moon
$ - Earth, Venus, and Mars
Let’s Pause for Questions
NASA Explorer Schools Forums
One forum for
each module
http://neon.intronetworks.com/#
NASA Explorer Schools
http://explorerschools.nasa.gov
[email protected]
http://neon.intronetworks.com/#
Thank you to the sponsor of
tonight's Web Seminar:
http://learningcenter.nsta.org
http://www.elluminate.com
National Science Teachers Association
Dr. Francis Q. Eberle, Executive Director
Zipporah Miller, Associate Executive Director
Conferences and Programs
Al Byers, Assistant Executive Director e-Learning
NSTA Web Seminars
Paul Tingler, Director
Jeff Layman, Technical Coordinator
LIVE INTERACTIVE LEARNING @ YOUR DESKTOP