Biology and Life Sciences: An Interdisciplinary Survey

By Science Connected

This book takes learners on a journey through the interconnected systems of life on earth and the latest scientific research being done to understand those systems. We will begin with recent evidence suggesting that comets may have delivered not only water, but the building blocks of life to a young planet earth, and how we store seeds and tissues in biobank facilities today. Next, we'll examine recent discoveries in the fields of paleontology and evolutionary biology, followed by new findings in human anthropology. Next, we will take a look at conservation biology and how human behavior is impacting other species on earth, including raptors and sea turtles, and discuss what we can do to prevent our behavior from threatening our planet's biodiversity. Biomechanics and biophysics follow as we read about why geckos can climb smooth vertical surfaces. Finally, we will learn about recent research into the movement of matter and energy in ecosystems, including scientific studies of how forests absorb carbon dioxide and how layers of ice are melting in Greenland.

Education and careers in science, math, engineering, and science (STEM) are continuously evolving, expanding, diverging, and converging, much like life on earth. In addition to introducing recent research that is taking place in biology and life science fields, this text is also intended to introduce students to a variety of disciplines in the biological and life sciences, some of which they may not yet be familiar with.  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Science Connected
• Release date: Jul 23, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393574088

Book preview

Biology and Life Sciences: An Interdisciplinary Survey

Published by Science Connected Inc.

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)* Aligned for 9-12

Editor: C. Kate Stone

Copy Editor: Jess Romaine

© 2020 by Science Connected

180 Steuart Street #190213

San Francisco, CA 94119 USA

www.scienceconnected.org

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

The contents of this book have been previously published in Science Connected Magazine in 2018 and 2019. They have been modified and expanded upon for inclusion in this volume.

This book is independently authored and published and no sponsorship or endorsement of this book by, and no affiliation with, any trademarked product mentioned or pictured within is claimed or suggested. All trademarks that appear in the text in this book belong to their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only.

*Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) is a registered trademark of Achieve. Neither Achieve nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.

Introduction

Our  goal in developing this book is to take you, the reader, on a journey through the interconnected systems of life on earth and the latest scientific research being done to understand those systems. We will begin with recent evidence suggesting that comets may have delivered not only water, but the building blocks of life to a young planet earth, and how we store seeds and tissues in biobank facilities today. Next, we’ll examine recent discoveries in the fields of paleontology and evolutionary biology, followed by new findings in human anthropology. Next, we will take a look at conservation biology and how human behavior is impacting other species on earth, including raptors and sea turtles, and discuss what we can do to prevent our behavior from threatening our planet’s biodiversity. Biomechanics and biophysics follow as we read about why geckos can climb smooth vertical surfaces. Finally, we will learn about recent research into the movement of matter and energy in ecosystems, including scientific studies of how forests absorb carbon dioxide and how layers of ice are melting in Greenland.

Education and careers in science, math, engineering, and science (STEM) are continuously evolving, expanding, diverging, and converging, much like life on earth. Therefore, in addition to introducing you to recent research that is taking place in biology and life science fields, we want to introduce you to a variety of disciplines in the biological and life sciences, some of which you may not yet be familiar with. 

Sincerely,

The Science Connected Team

www.scienceconnected.org

Unit 1:  Biology and Biochemistry

Comet Neowise viewed from Caliente, California in 2020  (Jason Hullinger)

Comets Can Carry the Building Blocks of Life

People used to think that comets were lifeless balls of frozen gas and dust hurtling through space. In recent years, however, we have changed the way we think about comets. There is new evidence that these frozen voyagers are the couriers that delivered life to a young planet Earth.

Lending support to the courier theory, the European Space Agency’s comet-chaser craft named Rosetta has found complex organic molecules, the building blocks of life, on a comet. These are the exciting initial results of the data analysis using the information returned by Rosetta’s lander, Philae.

Doing Science on the Surface of a Comet

After touchdown, the gas-sniffing instruments (named Ptolemy and COSAC) analyzed samples and determined the chemical composition of the comet’s gas and dust–important tracers of the raw materials present in the early Solar System.

When the lander reached the surface of the comet, it kicked up a lot of dust. COSAC analysed the dust and found 16 organic compounds, including compounds rich in carbon and nitrogen. Four of the compounds found – methyl isocyanate, acetone, propionaldehyde and acetamide – had never before been detected in comets.

Meanwhile, Ptolemy sampled ambient gas entering tubes at the top of the lander and detected water vapour, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide, as well as smaller amounts of carbon-bearing organic compounds, including formaldehyde.

The compounds detected are significant because they play a key role in the prebiotic synthesis of amino acids, sugars, and nucleobases: the ingredients for life. For example, formaldehyde plays a role in the formation of ribose, which ultimately features in molecules like DNA.

The existence of such complex molecules in a comet, a relic of the early Solar System, suggests that chemical processes at work during that time could have played a key role in the development of life.

Comprehension Questions

What is the name of the lander that gathered samples from the comet? Who created the lander technology?

What did the lander find that suggests comets are not just lifeless balls of frozen gas and dust?

The lander contained two instruments named Ptolemy and COSAC. Explain how each instrument analyzed the comet and what each found.

Why are the molecules on the comet such an important clue about life existing elsewhere in the universe?

What role does