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Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-00641-6 - Frontiers of Astrobiology Edited by Chris Impey, Jonathan Lunine and José Funes Index More information Index Page numbers in italics refer to figures and tables. Acasta Gneiss, 52 Allen Telescope Array (ATA), anthropomorphism, 266, 291 accretion heating, 205 18, 295–7, 296, 299, 301, antibiotics, in search for acetylene, 189–90 302–3 non-standard life, 39 Achaean era, 188 Alpha Centauri B, 234 anti-greenhouse effect, 188–9 Acidiphilium spp, 160 altimeters, 182, 183, 185 aragonite, 64 Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, Altman, S., 62 Archaea (domain), 12, 29, 57, 160 aluminum, 205 94, 122n, 123, 133, 160, Acidobacteria, 160 Amazonian (cold and dry) 162, 164 Acinetobacter, 160 Period, 158, 172 metabolism in, 49, 58–9 Actinobacteria, 160, 164 Earth analogs for, 162–5 Archean Eon, 12, 53, 54–5, 97, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), amino acids, 49 118, 135, 159 49, 50, 136 as biomarker, 25 evolution of habitability in, Aeromonas, 160 in meteorites, 64 115–28 aerosols (tholins), on Titan, synthesis of, 12, 49, 59 fossils from, 102–3, 108 187, 188, 190, 192, ammonia, 120, 125, 192–3, late, 134 194 205, 214, 216–17, 219 Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Africa, 53, 55, 95, 100, 107, ammonia hydrates, 204, 208 observatory at, 294, 299, 119, 119, 126 anaerobic metabolism, 123–5, 303 Akilia island, 92, 95, 108 141 Ariel, 203, 212 albedo, 121n, 242, 270 analysis, in life theory Aristotle, 291 ALFA feed array, 294 formation, 28, 31 Arthrobacter, 164 algae, 122, 165 Andes Mountains, 163, 164 asteroid belt, 90, 205, 213, photosynthetic, 160 animals: 221 ALH84001 (Martian foundation for evolution of, asteroids: meteorite), 7, 17, 35–7, 35 135, 143, 144 icy, 203–9 alkalinity, 8 macroscopic, 143–5 ingredients for habitability Allan Hills Meteorite Antarctica, 162, 173, 179 of, 204–9 (ALH84001), 7, 17, 35–7, extreme environment of, missions to, 203–4 35 32, 48, 161 position and temperature Allen, Paul, 295 Mars meteorite in, 35–7 of, 204 306 © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-00641-6 - Frontiers of Astrobiology Edited by Chris Impey, Jonathan Lunine and José Funes Index More information Index 307 property table for, 203 prebiotic, 124 biochemistry, unity of, 11 water on, 84, 201–9, 213–16 and redox state, 122–8 bio-cosmological principle, astrobiology: vs. Mars, 168 266 aims of, 9, 18 weakly reduced, 123 biology, advances in, 9 breakthroughs in, 8–9 see also Great Oxydation biomarkers, 17 as discipline, 3 Event biosignature gasses, 239–41 habitability as goal of, 288 atmospheric erosion, 237 biosignatures, 239–42 history of, 6–9 Australia, 55, 92, 95, 100, 115, biosynthesis, 189 and human culture, 18 159 Black Cloud (character), 27–8 and humility, 18–19 cherts in, 98, 105, 106, 125 black shales, biomarkers in, new synthesis in, 5–19 autotrophic metabolic 126–7 and origin of life, 11–13 pathways, 12 Blanc, Michel, 175–97, 202 questions proposed by, 6, 9 autotrophs (self-feeding), 48 “boring billion,” 135, 139 SETI and, 288 Axel Heiberg Island, as Mars bottom-up approach, 11, 12, study week on, 3–4 analog, 161, 162 239 use of term, 6, 9 Azua-Bustos, Armando, brain, 145 astrometry planet search 157–73 Brevibacillus, 164 technique, 235 brown dwarfs, 251 astronomers, astronomy, Bacillus, 164 brucite, 64, 214 historical, 5, 6, 254–5 bacteria: Buick, R., 135 Atacama Desert, as Mars fossil record of, 132 analog, 163–5, 163 in Mars analogs, 162–4 Calamarians (characters), 27–8 atmosphere: metabolism in, 58–9, 60 calcium–aluminum blurring effects of, 254, 271 microaerophilic, 137 inclusions, 205 as dynamic, 168 in Proterozoic oceans, California, University of, at erosion of, 237 138–9, 141 Berkeley: of Europa, 184 Bacteria (domain), 12, 57, Radio Astronomy of exoplanets, 242–4, 122n Laboratory at, 295 266–80 metabolism in, 49 telescope at, 294–5 of Mars, 158, 160–1, 165–73, banded iron formations (BIF), Callisto, 176, 178, 178, 192, 170 55, 56, 121, 135–6 195, 250 spectroscopic analysis of, Barberton Greenstone Belt, 53, Cambrian Period, 116 268 95, 99–100, 101, 104, 105, Campbelltown Rotary of Titan, 185, 186, 187–9, 107, 108, 109 Observatory, 295 192, 194 Baross, John, 5–19 Canada: of transiting super-Earths, Beacon Valley, as Mars analog, glaciation in, 119 243 161, 162, 165 Mars analogs in, 159, 161 atmosphere, Earth, 52, 63, 89, Beagle, HMS, 5, 17 old rocks in, 52, 90, 92 109, 115, 185, 239–40 Benner, Steven, 25–45 canali, 157 effect of early life on, 123–5 Benner laboratory, 43 Canfield, Donald, 136, 138 before GOE, 122–3 Benz, Willy, 73–84 carbohydrates, 25 oxygen stabilization and benzene, 187, 189, 190, 191 carbon: regulations in, 136–8 Berkner, L. V., 7 isotopes, 10, 102–3, 104, postbiotic, 124 bilateralism, 145–6 139 © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-00641-6 - Frontiers of Astrobiology Edited by Chris Impey, Jonathan Lunine and José Funes Index More information 308 Index carbon (cont.) Cell Theory of Life, 36 Clarke, Arthur C., 18, 292 as life essential, 10, 13, 89, cellular signatures, 10, 100–1 Class III habitats, 176, 176, 100–1, 214, 241 Cellulomonas, 164 180, 196 in microbial metabolism, Cenozoic epoch, 96 Europa as potential, 180–1 54–5, 67, 96–7 Centaurs, 216 Class IV habitats, 176, 176, organic, 121, 139, 142 Central Bureau of 177, 196 in respiration, 121–2 Astronomical Telegrams, clathrate hydrates, 204–5, carbonaceous “snowflakes,” 301 212, 214, 219, 221 120 Central Park, 117 clays, as catalysts in origin of carbon dioxide, 13, 244, 271, Ceres, 218, 219, 220–1 life, 13, 64 272, 274 habitability potential for, Cleland, C. E., 10 as carbon source, 12 202, 203, 203, 213, 214, climate: in Earth’s atmosphere, 91, 215, 216 in Archean Eon, 116–22, 120–1, 139–40, 267 Charon, 201, 216, 218–19, 125 in Mars atmosphere, 165, 221–2 of Mars, 169, 172–3 168–71, 172 habitability potential of, in Proterozoic, 139–41 carbon fixation, 54, 67 202, 203, 218, 219–22 Clinton, Bill, 8 Carboniferous Era, 159 chasmolithic organisms, 103 Clostridium, 160 Cassini Composite Infrared chemical signatures, 10 clouds, 242, 274 Spectrometer, 191 chemical systems, as life cnidarians, 145 Cassini–Huygens mission, 8, essential, 27 coal beds, 51 185, 186, 187, 189, 191, chemistry: Coastal Mountain Range, 163, 192, 195–6, 212, 220 origins paradox in, 40–1 164 Cassini Imaging Science pre-biotic, 8, 39–41, 63–5 cobalt, 13 Subsystem (ISS), 187 chemolithotrophs, 96–7, 97, Cocconi, Giuseppe, 287 Cassini Infra–Red 100, 104–5, 109, 161 collisions: Spectrometer, 212 chemoorganotrophs, 97, 100, with Earth, 90 Cassini Ion and Neutral Mass 101, 105, 109 of landmasses, 52 Spectrometer (INMS), 187, cherts, oxygen isotopes in, in planet formation, 74–6, 191, 212, 220 116–17 83 Cassini Radio Science “chicken and egg” problem, Colour Peak, 161 Subsystem, 193 40, 127 comets, 90 Cassini/VIMS instrument, 189, China, 142, 144 in asteroid belt, 213 193 Chlorella, 160 as building blocks for life, Castillo-Rogez, Julie, 201–22 CHNOPS (key elements for 11 catalysis, as life essential, 50 life), 180 commensal observations, catalysts, in metabolism, Christalline Entity (character), 294–5 60–7, 65, 66 27 common ancestry, 31, 32, 39 caves, as Mars analogs, 164–5 chromium, 135 complementarity, 41, 43–4, 42 Cech, T. R., 62 Chroococcidiopsis, 164 conduction, 207–8 cells: Chryse Planitia, 162–3 contamination, interstellar, 7 formation of early, 94, Chyba, C. F., 10, 63 continents, 95 100–1 citric acid cycle (TCA), 59 convection, 207–9, 215 as foundation of life, 36 Clark, R. N., 189 mobile-lid, 212 © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-00641-6 - Frontiers of Astrobiology Edited by Chris Impey, Jonathan Lunine and José Funes Index More information Index 309 Copernican Principle, De Duve, C., 12 Drake, Frank, 286, 287, 290 Copernican revolution, deep hot biosphere, 38 Drake equation, 287–91 16, 245–6, 289, 301 Deinococcus radiodurans, 99 complications and Copernicus, Nicolaus, 245 deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), assumptions of, 288–9 Copley, Shelley, 48–67 11, 62, 122 formula for, 287–8 copper, 13 complementarity in, 41, probabilities and corals, 145 43–4 predictions of, 289–91 coronographs, 245, 256, 270 GACTZP, 44–5 drop stones, 117 corotation (zeroth order) in LUCA, 58–9 Drossart, P., 273 resonance, 78–9 as molecular genetic Dunaliella, 160, 165 CoRoT (CNES) missions, 197, system, 26, 27, 29 Dune (Herbert), 172 254, 262 polymerases, 44 dust, as building blocks for CoRoT-7b (planet), 254, 262, and protein production, 40 life, 11 269 sequencing, 30 dust analyzer, 183 Cosmic Vision Plan, 195 stability of, 38 dwarf planets, 213, 216, Coustenis, Athena, 175–97, synthetic, 41, 43–4 218–19, 269 202 Derry, L. A., 142 crater-counting, 183 Desch, S. J., 217, 219 Earth: crater relaxation, 210 deserts: as appropriate setting for cratons, 52 life in, 164, 172 life, 89–110, 216, 232, 291 formation of, 133–4 on Mars, 172 biological “Renaissance” of, Crick, F. H. C., 41, 42, 43 oldest, 163 141–6 crust, Earth’s, 52, 91–2 Desulfosporosinus, 160 climate history of, 116–22 cryogenic biospheres, 289 deuterium, 251 composition of, 73 cryovolcanism, 190–1, 193, diagenesis, 116 concept of habitability on, 209, 214, 217, 219 diamictite, 117 92, 94 crystals, oldest, 92 differentiation, 108 early environment of, Cyanidium, 160, 164 diffusion-limited rate, 123 89–110, 93, 97 cyanobacteria, 125, 126, 127, Digital Speedometer evolution of habitability on, 133, 134, 141, 142, 162, exoplanet detector 115–28
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  • Part 1: the 1.7 and 3.9 Earth Radii Rule

    Part 1: the 1.7 and 3.9 Earth Radii Rule

    Hi this is Steve Nerlich from Cheap Astronomy www.cheapastro.com and this is What are exoplanets made of? Part 1: The 1.7 and 3.9 earth Radii rule. As of August 2016, the current count of confirmed exoplanets is up around 3,400 in 2,617 systems – with 590 of those systems confirmed to be multiplanet systems. And the latest thinking is that if you want to understand what exoplanets are made of you need to appreciate the physical limits of planet-hood, which are defined by the boundaries of 1.7 and 3.9 Earth radii . Consider that the make-up of an exoplanet is largely determined by the elemental make up of its protoplanetary disk. While most material in the Universe is hydrogen and helium – these are both tenuous gases. In order to generate enough gravity to hang on to them, you need a lot of mass to start with. So, if you’re Earth, or anything up to 1.7 times the radius of Earth – you’ve got no hope of hanging onto more than a few traces of elemental hydrogen and helium. Indeed, any exoplanet that’s less than 1.7 Earth radii has to be primarily composed of non-volatiles – that is, things that don’t evaporate or blow away easily – to have any chance of gravitationally holding together. A non-volatile exoplanet might be made of rock – which for our Solar System is a primarily silicon/oxygen based mineral matrix, but as we’ll hear, small sub-1.7 Earth radii exoplanets could be made of a whole range of other non-volatile materials.