LIVE INTERACTIVE LEARNING @ YOUR DESKTOP Properties of Living Things: Searching for Fingerprints of Life on Mars Presented by: Rudo Kashiri January 10, 2013 6:30 p.m. 8:00 p.m. Eastern time 1
Introducing today s presenter Rudo Kashiri NASA Explorer Schools Education Specialist NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA 2
Properties of Living Things: Searching for Fingerprints of Life on Mars Presented by Rudo Kashiri NASA Explorer Schools
NASA Explorer Schools + =
Agenda NASA Connection Featured lessons: Extremophiles Searching for life NASA Explorer Schools
Grade level: 5-8 National science Standards Regulation and behavior Properties and changes of properties in matter Structure and function of living systems
Question What does it mean to say that finding a habitable planet is sort of like the story of Goldilocks?
Too hot! Just right! Too cold!
Too Big or Too Small
Potentially Habitable Exoplanet
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.
Astrobiology in Your Classroom What defines life? What does life look like? Where is life found? What sustains life?
Grow Move Breathe Reproduce Feeding Unicellular Multicellular Produce energy Use nutrients Use energy Metabolism Respond to stimuli Adapt/Evolve Displays organization Homeostasis Show heredity Cellular structure
Let s Pause for Questions.
What are Extremophiles?
Discovery of Arsenic Microbe
Where is life found on earth?
Let s Pause for Questions.
Activity: It s Just Right Experiment with gas production of yeast at different temperatures.
What will the students learn? The characteristics of life. How temperature is related to the growth and survival of organisms. The concept of life in extreme environments.
Materials
A Sugar Yeast No water B Sugar Yeast Warm water C Sugar Yeast Warm water D Sugar Yeast Warm water
A Sugar Yeast No water Table B Sugar Yeast Warm water Table Sugar Yeast Warm water Warm bath C D Sugar Yeast Warm water Cold bath
Graphs and Student Handouts
Ideas
Let s Pause for Questions.
Earth or Mars?
Is there life on Mars?
Where should we look for life? NASA/JPL-Caltech
Why Curiosity s Mission to Mars Matters Artist s Concept. NASAJPL-Caltech
Let s Pause for Questions.
Activity: Is it Alive?
What will the students learn? How to conduct simulated experiment with soil samples similar to the experiments on the Mars Viking Lander. State relationships between the soil samples using their operational definition of life. How to make an inference about the possibility of life on Mars based on data obtained.
Materials
A Sand Sugar B Sand Sugar Active dry yeast C Sand Sugar Alka-Seltzer (crushed)
Data Sheets
Dry Samples
Hot water in A A Sand Sugar B Sand Sugar Active dry yeast C Sand Sugar Alka-Seltzer
Hot Water in B A Sand Sugar B Sand Sugar Active dry yeast C Sand Sugar Alka-Seltzer
Hot water in C A Sand Sugar B Sand Sugar Active dry yeast C Sand Sugar Alka-Seltzer
A Physical change, sugar dissolves. Is it Alive? B Chemical reaction after 10 minutes, reaction continued C Immediate chemical reaction, but stopped after 10 minutes.
Other Lesson Ideas Using bottles and balloons Measure balloon s circumference
Let s Pause for Questions.
It s Just Right Do you plan to use these activities in your classroom? Is it Alive? Both Neither one
http://explorerschools.nasa.gov Rudo Kashiri rudo.g.kashiri@nasa.gov Thank you for joining us today.
Thanks to today s presenter! Rudo Kashiri NASA Explorer Schools Education Specialist NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA 50
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