UNSW Depth Studies

Infographic

Note: Lesson 6 (Biosignatures) shows some example infographics to students, identifies their main components and discusses how they may create their own.

Assignment Overview

The scientific search for extraterrestrial life is a topic of constant fascination.

Based on one of the following popular science articles (or another one approved by your teacher), create an infographic to communicate some of the information in this article in a new form. Your infographic should link a chemistry concept to the search for non-Earth life.

Your submission should include

Your infographic, created using Canva, which includes at least one figure and 20 - 100 words of text
1-2 short sentences identifying the key chemistry concepts associated with your infographic
Identification of any graphics you created yourself or using Canva
References, including to the article you used, any supplementary information sources and references for any graphics you didn't create yourself or through Canva

Chemistry concepts you may consider are:

Infrared spectroscopy of small gaseous molecules
Chemical equilibrium of atmospheres
Role of water as a solvent for life
Role of oxygen in respiration

Advice and Support for Students

Scaffolded Support for Students to Create their Own Infographic

Suggested Marking Criteria (two options)

Suggested Marking Criteria

Marking Criteria Infographic

Potential Articles

Why the idea of alien life now seems inevitable and possibly imminentThe ancient question 'Are we alone?' has graduated from being a philosophical musing to a testable hypothesis. We should be prepared for an answer.

New Research Suggests That Sugar Molecules Exist in Deep SpaceNew research suggests that the sugar molecule that puts the "D" in DNA — 2-deoxyribose — could exist in the far reaches of space.

Simulations Reveal How Acids Behave in Ultracold Interstellar SpaceResearchers investigate the question of whether hydrochloric acid does or does not release its proton in conditions like those found in interstellar space.

Mineral never before seen in nature found inside Australian meteoriteBlack-and-red rock that fell to Earth 68 years ago contains iron carbide compound

Finding Life within our Solar System and on Extrasolar Planets

The search for extraterrestrial life in the water worlds close to homeThere has been much excitement this week about the possibility of water -- and life -- on some newly discovered exoplanets. But we can look closer to home for evidence of ET.

Alien imposters: Planets with oxygen don't necessarily have lifeLab simulations nix the common wisdom that atmospheric oxygen and organic compounds are good evidence that a planet harbors life.

Exploring Water and Life

Scientists identify molecule that could have helped cells survive—and thrive—on early EarthTo truly understand how the body works and improve human health, researchers need to tease apart the building blocks of our cells. But as scientists continue to make major breakthroughs in cellular biology, an important question lingers: How did cells originally form billions of years ago?

Scientists Reproduce the Building Blocks of LifeScientists from NASA's Ames Research Center have demonstrated for the first time that they can make uracil, cytosine, and thymine, all three components of RNA and DNA, non-biologically in a laboratory under conditions found in space. NASA scientists studying the origin of life have reproduced ura

Key phosphorus-based molecule for life on Earth may have come from spaceThe answer to "How did the first organisms on Earth incorporate the critical element phosphorus?" has been a quandary for researchers, but, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa physical chemists believe a meteoric visitor could be the critical link. Phosphorus is a key element for the molecules that compose all living organisms and helps form the backbone of DNA molecules, cell membranes (phospholipids), even bones and teeth. However, most phosphorus on Earth is bound in a state that does not allow for easy release or access. Modern organisms have evolved to extract the limited supplies of phosphorus in water.

Alternative Forms of Life

ammonia-based lifeIn 1954, J. B. S. Haldane, speaking at the Symposium on the Origin of Life, suggested that an alternative biochemistry could be conceived in which water was replaced as a solvent by liquid ammonia.

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