Thursday, November 3, 2022

🌔 Life in the Universe. Key Terms

 

organic compounds that are the molecular building blocks of proteinsamino acids
the multidisciplinary study of life in the universe: its origin, evolution, distribution, and fate; similar terms are exobiology and bioastronomyastrobiology
evidence of the presence of life, especially a global indication of life on a planet that could be detected remotely (such as an unusual atmospheric composition)biomarker
a molecule that stores information about how to replicate a cell and its chemical and structural componentsDNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
a formula for estimating the number of intelligent, technological civilizations in our Galaxy, first suggested by Frank DrakeDrake equation
an organism (usually a microbe) that tolerates or even thrives under conditions that most of the life around us would consider hostile, such as very high or low temperature or acidityextremophile
the basic functional unit that carries the genetic (hereditary) material contained in a cellgene
an environment capable of hosting lifehabitable environment
the region around a star in which liquid water could exist on the surface of terrestrial-sized planets, hence the most probable place to look for life in a star’s planetary systemhabitable zone
a compound containing carbon, especially a complex carbon compound; not necessarily produced by lifeorganic compound
a combination of carbon and other atoms—primarily hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur—some of which serve as the basis for our biochemistryorganic molecule
a complex sequence of chemical reactions through which some living things can use sunlight to manufacture products that store energy (such as carbohydrates), releasing oxygen as one by-productphotosynthesis
a key biological molecule that provides the structure and function of the body’s tissues and organs, and essentially carries out the chemical work of the cellprotein
a molecule that aids in the flow of genetic information from DNA to proteinsRNA (ribonucleic acid)
the search for extraterrestrial intelligence; usually applied to searches for radio signals from other civilizationsSETI
solid, layered rock formations that are thought to be the fossils of oxygen-producing photosynthetic bacteria in rocks that are 3.5 billion years oldstromatolites
an organism that can tolerate high temperaturesthermophile

No comments:

Post a Comment