Astronomy Astrobiology and the Search for Life 2

Question 1

Panspermia is the hypothesis that:

Accepted Answer

Life can be transported between planets via meteorites, comets, or asteroids

Answer

Panspermia proposes that life, or the building blocks of life, can travel through space on rocky bodies and seed new worlds, potentially explaining life's appearance on Earth.

Question 2

Which moon of Saturn has a thick nitrogen-rich atmosphere and liquid hydrocarbon lakes on its surface, making it a candidate for exotic, non-water-based life?

Accepted Answer

Titan

Answer

Titan's surface has lakes of liquid methane and ethane, raising the possibility of life using liquid hydrocarbons as a solvent instead of water.

Question 3

The 2020 detection of phosphine in Venus's atmosphere was scientifically significant because:

Accepted Answer

Known abiotic processes could not fully account for the observed concentration

Answer

The reported phosphine levels exceeded what known photochemical and geological processes on Venus could produce, prompting speculation about a possible biological source in the cloud layers.

Question 4

In astrobiology, 'second genesis' refers to:

Accepted Answer

Life that originated independently from Earth life through a separate origin event

Answer

A second genesis would confirm that life can arise independently more than once, showing that life's origin is not a unique cosmic accident limited to Earth.

Question 5

NASA's Perseverance rover mission to Mars is specifically designed to:

Accepted Answer

Drill for and cache rock samples that may preserve signs of ancient microbial life

Answer

Perseverance is collecting and caching rock and sediment samples from Jezero Crater, a former lake bed, for eventual return to Earth for detailed analysis for biosignatures.

Astronomy Practice Test

Astronomy Practice Test

Astronomy Astrobiology and the Search for Life 2