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EXTREM ophiles !. Finding Life on other Planets. -What are some sites or places that you have been to or have heard about that are characteristic of having extreme conditions (very hot, very cold, very dry)?
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EXTREMophiles! Finding Life on other Planets
-What are some sites or places that you have been to or have heard about that are characteristic of having extreme conditions (very hot, very cold, very dry)? -What about extreme conditions around us on a daily basis or where we live? (in kitchen, our bodies, etc.)
What do you consider to be an ideal Environment for you? • Temperature? • 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit? • Climate? • Warm? Sunny? Breezy? • Geography? • Mountains? Forest? Flat/Grassland?
What about living in… • …boiling water? • …living in acidic water that can eat through metal (your stomach!)? • …in mud that is saltier than the ocean? • …in volcanic hot spots?
Common Examples of Extremophiles • Microbes—bacteria and archae • Mostly unicellular, but some multicellular include particular worms, insects, and crustaceans
EXTREMOPHILE • Extreme– being of a high or of the highest degree or intensity • – phile “love”, attraction, or affinity to something • “Extreme-lovers” <3
What is an Extreme Environment? • High-Salt (>0.2M salt concentration) • halophiles • Low pH (<3) • acidophiles • High pH (>9) • alkaliphiles
High-temperature (176–300 °F) • thermophiles • Low-temperature (< 50 °F; as low as -450 F) • psychrophile • High-pressure
A Polyextremophile: the “water bear” • Hypoliths
What are some Examples of Extreme Environments here on Earth? • Volcanic areas (hot spots) • Geysers • Hot springs • Hydrothermal vents (deep sea)
What is Mars’ Environment Like? • Like Earth’s extreme environments, the entirety of Mars’ is “extreme” • Dry, frozen desert
Comparing Earth and Mars • Both have large polar caps • Similar solar day • Both have a similar rotational tilt in their axis (similar seasons) • Carbon, nitrogen, water (but not liquid now) • The magnetic field of Earth makes it’s largest characteristic in difference • Mars is much colder • http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/Sibling_Rivalry.html
Life on Mars? • Evidence that Mars once had water, maybe even oceans • possibly at the same time Earth first had life. So what happened to Mars, then? • Mars “lost” its atmosphere; was mostly CO2, turned into carbonate and mineralized in rocks • Thicker atmosphere=stabilize water, warmer climate • Our atmosphere is maintained from recycling of plate tectonics