Life On Other Planets Essays - Planetary Science, Astrobiology

Life On Other Planets Life On Other Planets Life exists on other planets. Out of the billions of solar systems, there has to be a chance that a least a couple planets have the ability to support life. Life may have developed on the planets like life developed here, but it may have developed differently also. Are they more intelligent than we are or are they single-celled organisms? Do they have broadcast capabilities, so they can contact us? It goes back to how life on Earth started. In the early days of Earth, the atmosphere was just carbon monoxide, but algae developed into plants which produced oxygen (Rather and Bowen 2). That brings us to the question of how the algae got here. The answer to that question may lay right beneath us, at the bottom of the earth. There are scientists in Antarctica digging in the snow hoping to find some answers. Some of earth's fossil records indicate that within a billion year period of it's formation as a planet, as soon as heavy bombardment by asteroids ceased, primitive organisms such as bacteria and algae evolved and spread around the globe very quickly. Those organisms illustrated the totality of life here for the next two billion years or so. Therefore, if life exists on other planets, it might well be in this highly uncommunicative form. Consequently it might be a while until it would finally evolve into a slightly intelligent form of life. As algae became more extensive, they began adding large amounts of oxygen to Earth's atmosphere. The manufacturing of oxygen, fed by energy derived from sunlight, is fundamental to carbon-based life. Oxygen is a chemically reactive gas; without continued replenishment by algae and, later in Earth's evolution, by plants, its concentration would fall. Consequently, the presence of large amounts of oxygen in a planet's atmosphere is a good indicator that some form of carbon-based life may exist there. But there is still a problem as to how the initial jump from non-alive to alive came about. We know a lot of details, and have a pretty good idea of how life got from algae to cat to man, but how we ended up with algae is the big question here. This mystery makes it hard for us to figure out how life would arise on other planets. Life is not all that mysterious, it is a property of a collection of extremely complex molecules (Britt 1). In order to help people figure out what planets out there could support life and may have life on them, we have to look at what life needs to survive. If other planets had carbon-based life they would likely have the same or close to the same chemistry that earth has. Water is an excellent solvent for life's biological reactions and serves as a source of needed hydrogen. Carbon is a particularly suitable building block of life. Carbon is abundant 'in this universe, and no other known element can form the myriad of complex but stable molecules necessary for life as we know it. It is believed that if a planet looks like Earth and has liquid water and oxygen, then this would present strong evidence for its having life. There could be some other non-biological source on a lifeless planet. Life could also develop from some other type of chemistry that does not generate oxygen. We should still be able to detect all stirring from chemical residues. There is a theory that maybe life came from outer space, or the comets and meteorites in it. Like giant interstellar sperm, comets might transport the seeds of life from collapsed space clouds to fledgling and otherwise barren planets, depositing their life-giving substances in a colossal impact (Britt 1). A new computer shows that at least one building block of DNA could develop in space when giant clouds of molecular matter collapse under their own gravity, squeezing and forcing chemical reactions. If the controversial theory gains support, it would be a shot in the arm for an idea more than 20 years old: that life on Earth originated in space (Britt 1). This theory could explain how life got started on our planet so soon after this planet was formed.

Essay Sample on Edgar Allan Poe and His Art Works

Essay Sample on Edgar Allan Poe and His Art Works The last years of his life were nothing but a miserable picture of despair, hopes, which burst out from time to time, short – time crushes, flushes of alcoholism, constant changes of accommodation. He declaims his â€Å"Eureka† in bars in Richmond. He drastically seeks hand in marriage with Sarah Helen Whitman, â€Å"Helen of thousand dreams† in Providence. He makes an attempt to commit a suicide in Boston. In Norfolk and other cities he gives lectures on â€Å"The poetic principle†. Autumn 1849 – he is again in Richmond, desperately looking for money to establish journal. After that he is going to Baltimore. This is a place, where he will be found on the third of October near the electoral district. In four days he will pass away. There will be nine people present at his funeral†¦ Edgar Allan Poe’s biography is full of dramatic events and feelings. A man, who loses his parents in the age of 3, a man, who breaks off an engagement with his Richmond beloved (Regan, R, 2005), a man, who loses financial support from his relatives and takes a decision to go to the army is a man, who creates a fabulous world of sophisticated poetry, a mysterious detective story and a laconic, deep, touching short story. Poetry always appears as something intimate and personal, it is the highest level of literal creating not only in terms of the content, but also in terms of the formal aspect, which actually determines the harmony of the creation itself, its originality and its level of â€Å"sophistication†, so to speak. Poe’s poetry is exceptionally touching and heartfelt, for it is saturated with the author’s conception of poetry and its mission: there is nothing more sophisticated and high-toned than the poem itself, a poem, which is nothing else but a poem, a poem, which is written for the poem. A poem is not only a linguistic reflection of the poetic feeling, but also one of the most delicate means to evoke the same poetic feeling in others. Still Poe didn’t have an opportunity to give his all to his â€Å"passion† – poetry. His poetic heritage is rather poor. The late lyrics by Poe didn’t get any brand-new qualities. The diapason of poetic topics is also rather narrow and traditional: love, loss of the beloved, the ideal’s inaccessibility, the fluidity and mortality of all existing in the world, impossibility to express secret thoughts with words. Regarding romantic imagination as something high – souled and exquisite, he still realizes, that it has not only its limits, but also has a quality of running down. Thus, he pays great attention to the formal aspect of the poem, to its structure, music, rhythmic image of beauty, melody – this is his professional, technical and theoretical definition of poetry. The Poe’s poem doesn’t actually operate with the idea of plot. The best pieces of his poetry do have a strenuous inner dynamic, as a classical example one should take the â€Å"Raven†. Eighteen verses of the poem express a gradual, dramatic realization of the hero’s loss, of despair and pain. Raven becomes a symbol of this pain and grief – â€Å"Nevermore†¦Ã¢â‚¬  his constant caw creates a depressing soundtrack to human mourning. Poe has worked out a complex of methods, which underlain the basis of detective stories. Though, the author â€Å"didn’t contribute much to the construction or the content of the detective story† (Stern, P, 1957, p. 26 ), he gave an impulse to develop the genre of the detective novel – Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Hammet, Simenon and their heroes came out, so to speak, of Poe’s detective. Poe’s stories are logically structured, one will not find there neither scenes of violence nor atmosphere of cruelty. Among Poe’s masterpieces, â€Å"The fall of the house of Usher† and â€Å"William Wilson† should be specially remarked for the author’s portrait and psychological skill to depict a deep character with morbid sensitivity and sophisticated intellect. The morbid concentration of the main hero in â€Å"The fall of the house of Usher† on his own personality, his inner affections, his disgust to the reality lead in the end to his tragic collapse. Some critics notice hidden motives, which give an opportunity to assume, that Roderick Usher becomes a predecessor of Adrian Leverkuehn, T. Mann’s main character of the â€Å"Doctor Faustus.† â€Å"William Wilson† represents a specific variation of the split mind theme. In the name of fame and success, the main hero strangles the voice of his best â€Å"me†, he doesn’t listen to the whisper of his own conscience. As the opposite good genius tries to restrain the hero from making the next indign step, the hero kills him – in the same way, as Dorian Gray thrusts a knife into his portrait, which became his own conscience. Undoubtedly, Poe has become a writer of the worldwide. But there are still so many rousing discussions about Poe’s place in the American literature. Some critics accuse him of incapability to depict life in its â€Å"brightness† and â€Å"happiness†, he is blamed for the lack of these colors in his heritage. Some even wonder why he hasn’t created a book â€Å"for millions†. But†¦did he have to? Those common accusations have really nothing to do with the genius of his poetry – poetry in prose, poetry in his world-perception. Poe’s genius conducts pioneer tragic tradition, which reflected the contradiction between the American dream and its fulfillment in reality.

Check point Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Check point - Assignment Example iabetes risk factors include: overweight; people over the age of 45 years; family history with diabetes; higher blood sugar levels; high blood pressure; abnormal lipid levels; body inactivity (lack of exercise); blood vessel problems that affect the brain, heart and legs; and individuals with polycystic ovary syndrome (Sjà ¶strà ¶m et. al, 2006). If an individual discovers that they I have any of the above items, they are advised to seek medical attention. Diabetes disease is common with over age people (above 45 years) and obese individuals (Simmons, Thompson & Volklander, 2001). Some lifestyles also increase chances of contracting the disease. The disease affects the economy negatively since a lot of resources are used in treating the disease. Individuals are also rendered inactive hence can’t participate in their economy-developing activities. This health problem also affects their social life. Worldwide, more than 380 million people are affected by