LIVING OR NONLIVING.THE PROBLEM OF
EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE
Mr. T. Burkert—
INTRODUCTION.
If biology is the study of life, the first thing one needs to know is what it means for something to be alive. As a spoiled creature on an isolated planet, we’ve come to expect that we are IT…the only intelligent life on the only planet with life in the known universe. Since we are at the top of the food chain, only what matters to us matters period. BUT what would happen to our beliefs and philosophies if we found that we weren’t the only planet with life? And if we found something on another planet, how would we even know that it was alive? Understanding this topic well and you will have a good foundation upon which to build your arguments.
THE TASK:
In this project, you are an astronaut on the first mission to Mars. In this project it will be up to you to come up with a definition or list of requirements for what separates a living from a non-living thing. What would you have to look for when deciding if something is living or nonliving? As a scientist, you will need to make a list of those questions that need to be answered so that the people of earth will be able to answer the question of whether or not we’re alone!
Once you have a way to define life,
you will have to decide whether or not this discovery will violate Title 14,
Section 1211 of the Code of Federal Regulations or how to have this code
modified so that the biological organism may be studied. You will also have to
consider how this discovery will affect human institutions such as organized
religions. Your final report will be presented to the President for his
evaluation and action. The report must be a minimum of four typewritten pages
using MS word. You will create a story-
board from which you will give an oral report to the President’s commission.
Good luck, astronauts!
THE PROCESS:
1.
You must follow the PPA Process. For an
overview of this process, click on the following link:
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppae/ppae1
Follow
the links from #1 to answer the questions provided including:
·
What is the problem?
·
Where is the evidence?
·
What are the causes?
·
What is the existing policy?
·
What policies can you create to correct the problem?
·
What is the best policy to correct the problem?
2.
Complete worksheets 1-6 on the TIPS PPA website.
a. Define the Problem Worksheet 1
b. Gather Evidence Worksheet 2
c. Identify Causes Worksheet 3
d. Evaluate Policy Worksheet 4
e. Develop Solutions Worksheet 5
f. Select best Solution Worksheet 6
A.
To get you started, make a list of the characteristics that you think ALL
living things share in common. For example, all living things need to have the
ability to reproduce.
B.
After you have a list of 5 or 6 qualities that would indicate something is
alive, take a look at the pictures below and use them to test whether or not
they help you to predict which objects are living, dead (formerly living) or
non-living.
C:
You should create a T chart showing the characteristics that you have finally
decided can be used to describe living things.
You must be able to use scientific language supporting why you have
decided to include each characteristic.
D:
What do you think will be the implications of finding life on another planet?
How will it affect religious beliefs, political organizations, and scientific
institutions? You will have to present
your ideas using a storyboard presentation orally in front of the class.
E:
Yu will write your report from the information you have gathered on your PPA
worksheets.
|
Clicking on the
answer allows you to check your answers. Good luck in your quest for finding
the keys to the universe!
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
After
you’ve made your decisions and seen why you were correct or incorrect,
re-evaluate your initial list of the qualities necessary for something to be
considered living.
4.
Resources: Here are some internet sites
that might help in coming up with a solution to our problem of deciding whether
or not something is alive.
These
websites will help you to come up with a definition of what life is and help
you decide whether or not a living organism has been found:
http://www.saburchill.com/chapters/chap0001.html http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/ASK/living things.html
http://regentsprep.org/Regents/biology/units/organization/living.cfm
http://www.learn.co.uk/default.asp?WCI=SubInit&WCU=911
These websites will help you to decide if any laws have been breeched and how the situation might be handled:
http://www.priweb.org/ed/ICTHOL/ICTHOL2002policyopinions/ICTHOL_policy_opinion_home.htm
www.cersanmystical.org/Extraterrestial-Law.htm
http://www.marsnews.com/focus/life/
EVALUATION:
·
Title page with a clear title and name of presenters (5 pts)
·
Pictures and graphics are appropriate (10 pts)
·
Group has come up with clear, specific ideas for the President- (20
pts.)
·
Clear Oral Presentation (25 pts)
o
Not reading directly off the report/ shared speaking time/ eye contact
·
Completed print-outs of PPA worksheets (10 pts)
·
Works Cited using MLA guidelines (10 pts)
o
(click here for guidelines: How to site sources from the
internet)
·
Group work & preparation (20pts)
CONCLUSION:
By completing this activity, you will have
learned how to:
1. Search for information
using the Internet.
2. Develop critical thinking
skills.
3. Test your ideas to see if
they actually prove the problem you are trying to answer.
4. Present an oral
presentation.
5. Present a storyboard
presentation.
6. Apply scientific concept,
principles, and theories to understand how scientists know if an object is
living or non-living.
STANDARDS
Health, Physical Education, and Family and Consumer Sciences
Standard 2: A Safe and Healthy Environment - Students
will acquire the knowledge and ability necessary to create and maintain a safe
and healthy environment.
English
Standard
1: Students will read, write,
listen, and speak for information and understanding. As listeners and readers,
students will collect data, facts, and ideas, discover relationships, concepts,
and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and
electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and
written language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.
Technology
Standard 5: Students will apply technological knowledge
and skills to design construct, use and evaluate products and systems to
satisfy human and environmental needs.
E1c Reads and comprehends information materials.
E2a Produce a report of information.
E3b Participate in group meetings.
E4b Analyze and subsequently revise work to improve its clarity and
effectiveness.
E6a Critique public documents with an eye to strategies common in
public discourse.
E6b Produce public documents.
E7a Critique functional documents with an eye to strategies common
to effective functional documents.
E7b Produce functional documents appropriate to audience and purpose.
