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Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Life

Study Plan

Our journey has brought us to a new understanding of the universe and all it contains. Still, one very important and very personal component remains: you the reader of this book. What combination of events-some probable, others much less likely-has led to your existence as a sentient being, living on a small rocky planet, orbiting a typical middle-aged star? Are you and your fellow humans unique, or are there others like you inhabiting planets scattered throughout the vast universe? Here we will learn that

  • Like planets, stars, and galaxies, life is another form of structure that evolved through the action of the physical processes that shape the universe-the universe may teem with life.
  • Life is a form of complex chemistry
  • Terrestrial life likely originated in Earth's oceans.
  • Evolution is a natural process.
  • The conditions needed for life to form and evolve are commonplace throughout the universe.
  • Although the search goes on, there is not yet ay evidence for extraterrestrial life.
  • All life on Earth must eventually come to an end.

Organize

  • Read Chapter 23 in your textbook or ebook.
  • Take the Diagnostic Quiz to assess your understanding of the basic concepts and identify gaps in your understanding of the assigned reading.

Learn

  • Use the FlashCards to test your memory for new terms.
  • Review the Excursion Box for this chapter:
    • 23.1, Forever in a Day, to understand the span of time associated with the evolution of our universe and the life that has formed on our planet.
  • Work the "Thinking about the Concepts" and "Applying the Concepts" questions in the end of chapter review materials.
  • If your instructor has assigned SmartWork online homework, login from the right navigation pane for additional practice and review.

Connect

  • Review Connections 23.1, Life, the Universe and Everything, which explains the un-ifying theme of ordered structure and how it relates to the second law of thermody-namics. Also read the Seeing the Forest through the Trees section at the chapter's end to draw your attention to recurring themes and sum up the journey you have followed up to this end of the text.
  • Visit Astronomy in the News for breaking news of new discoveries and the opportunity to apply what you've learned in this chapter to real-world (and real Universe) events.
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