"We are voyagers on Earth through space, as passengers on a ship, and many of us have never thought of any part of the vessel but the cabin where we are quartered." --- Samuel Pierpont Langley INTERNET ACTIVITY Astrobiology: Future Career in Space? Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. This multidisciplinary field encompasses the search for habitable environments in our Solar System and habitable planets outside our Solar System, the search for evidence of prebiotic chemistry and life on Mars and other bodies in our Solar System, laboratory and field research into the origins and early evolution of life on Earth, and studies of the potential for life to adapt to challenges on Earth and in space. NASA's Astrobiology Program addresses three fundamental questions: How does life begin and evolve? Is there life beyond Earth and, if so, how can we detect it? What is the future of life on Earth and in the universe? In striving to answer these questions and improve understanding of biological, planetary, and cosmic phenomena and relationships among them, experts in astronomy and astrophysics, Earth and planetary sciences, microbiology and evolutionary biology, cosmochemistry, and other relevant disciplines are participating in astrobiology research and helping to advance the enterprise of space exploration. http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/about-astrobiology/

Blackboard Class Discussion

This is a new discussion topic tried for the first time last semester. Some students indicated in the Learning Self-Assessment that this was their favorite topic. The suggested discussion topics consists of YouTube videos or web pages listed below. Scroll down, look over them -- click on the YouTube or the image of the web page -- and pick what interests you. The web pages discussing if Avatar belongs in the classroom has many suggested topics you might want to explore. Then start a discussion thread in the bulletin board on Blackboard with a SUBJECT you make up covering the topic. As you soon will see the discussion is not just necessarily about the field of Astrobiology... This discussion/reflective thinking topic overlaps with two other topics. To make sure you are thinking of both in connection with this Avatar/Astrobiology topic, the link to those discussions are also included below. (You can also find your own Internet links ON THE TOPIC -- if you do, give the URL in the posting -- and if judged a good source it might be used next semester, as this discussion will be expanded.) This is page 2 of the reading assignment for this discussion. To find the link to page 3, scroll down the page...

Inside Astrobiology: Joe Nuth Source as of 02 June, 2014: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVagfiOsvEs

The Eyes Of Nye - Astrobiology Source as of 02 June, 2014: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIiv_fd1OW0

The Importance of Gliese 581g Source as of 02 June, 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6_HooIJLNc

Dr. Matz discusses science fiction and reality in the biology of Avatar. Source as of 02 June, 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TTWrgusVKI

Dr. David Brin YouTube Problem The video has become "an error occurred, please try again later" problem. YouTube keeps changing, and one annoying thing is the tendency to change the html code for "embedded videos" to force people to view the videos at the YouTube homesite. You would think that they should just remove the ability to embed videos if they want us so badly to see them at their site.... If you have problems with the YouTube, here is the URL to view it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLt6yv-rNhI Because of the problem with disappearing YouTubes, I have posted a copy of the video here -- the same picture you have on the quiz -- which will make it possible to find the information you need to answer the quiz question.... Source as of 02 June, 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLt6yv-rNhI As the old saying goes: "Put our eggs in more than one basket."  Once we become a space faring people, then there will be humans off the Earth, and they will be able to carry on humanity if we ever screw up this planet.  Or be able to come and help the survivors if we mostly screw up this planet.

Update on the Brazilian dam fight. March 04, 2011.

We are almost at the end of the "reading assignment", but we can't start this Blackboard discussion without discussing the possibilities of absolutely fantastic ECOLOGICAL environments on planets humankind will visit in the future (unless we destroy our own planet before we have a chance to go...) The picture below is art from the previous link above, "Art inspired by James Cameron's Avatar". One of the most inspiring parts of the movie Avatar, at least for this former scorpion collector and nighttime biologist, was the night ecology on Pandora. On Earth, scorpions fluoresce at night, with a ghostly yellow or green light -- when illuminated by ultraviolet "blacklight", very similar to the organisms on Pandora (but on Pandora they do it without the blacklight). Imagine for a moment how it would be to walk on Pandora at night... then click on the picture and listen to the two music videos... (Never seen Avatar? Here is your chance to see it in about 5 minutes -- without spoiling the movie I think...) Source CLICK ON THE PICTURE OF AVATAR AT NIGHT TO CONTINUE TO PAGE 3 Page 3 Page 1

Academic Freedom: Liberty to pursue and teach relevant knowledge and to discuss it freely without restriction from school or public officials or from other sources of influence.

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