Patrick McCauley
Physics 105
Reading List 1
Audience: Someone entering high school and interested in science
A. Article with a Science Theme
M. Turnbull, “Where is Life Hiding?,” Astronomy, 58-63 (Oct. 2006).
B. Background Information and Further Readings, with Justifications
Background Information: “The Solar System,” DVD Films for the Humanities &
Sciences (2000). Call number: Carrier DVD 684
Justification: This video covers the Earth’s solar system with information about
the Sun, each of the planets, and how the system formed. It is important to
understand the workings of our own solar system, the only system known to
harbor life, when examining other solar systems in the search for extraterrestrial
life. Additionally, this video was found in the university library and was
produced by an established organization for educational films.
Background Information: B. Dorminey, Distant Wanderers: the Search for Planets
Beyond the Solar System, 1st ed. (Copernicus Books, New York, 2002). Call number:
Carrier QB820 .D67 2002
Justification: This book examines the most current and generally accepted
theories about how extrasolar planets form, and includes the relatively current
progress made in the search for extrasolar planets as well as techniques for
discovering such planets. Furthermore, the book was found in the university
library, was published by an established scientific publisher, and is at a reading
level appropriate for high school and college students.
Further Reading: S. Shostak, “Drake’s Brave Guess,” Discover (May 2006).
Justification: This article details the Drake Equation, which is an estimate to the
number of civilizations in our galaxy that we might come into contact with.
Frank Drake (University of California) was a pioneer in the search for
extraterrestrial life and his equation, which is based on known astronomical facts
and estimations, has become an accepted scientific estimate that is open to
interpretation. The article was found in an established scientific journal that is at
an appropriate reading and detail level for the specified audience.
Further Reading: G. W. Marcy, “The New Search for Distant Planets,” Astronomy, 30-37
(Oct. 2006).
Justification: This article examines the most current and successful detection
methods for extrasolar planets and provides information about the habitable zones
of stars (distance from star where liquid water exists). Furthermore, the article
includes the most current discoveries of extrasolar planets and also the most
promising places for the search for life to continue. Finally, the article was
written by a current researcher in the field and was published by an established
publisher in the same issue as the initial chosen article.
C. Excluded Source and Justification
Excluded Source: A. P. Boss, “How Do You Make a Giant Exoplanet?,” Astronomy, 3843 (Oct. 2006).
Justification: Although this article has valuable information about the formation
of giant extrasolar planets and was published in the same issue as the initial
article, it focuses primarily on extremely large gaseous planets that are unlikely to
harbor life. Despite this, most of the extrasolar planets discovered to date are
giants such as those described in this article because current detection methods are
based on the examination of gravitational effects, which can only detect planets
with large masses. Since these planets are unlikely to support life, which is the
primary focus of the initial article, this article is excluded from the reading list.
Reading List 2
Audience: A first-year college student majoring in science
A. Article with a Science Theme
M. Turnbull, “Where is Life Hiding?,” Astronomy, 58-63 (Oct. 2006).
B. Background Information and Further Readings, with Justifications
Background Information: T. R. Stuart, Destiny or Chance: Our Solar System and Its
Place in the Cosmos (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1998). Call number:
Carrier QB501 .T248 1998
Justification: This book covers the Earth’s solar system, including information
about the sun, each of the planets, the formation of the solar system, and the solar
systems place in the cosmos. The information is covered in greater detail than in
the video chosen for the high school reading list and is presented at a level
appropriate for college students. Furthermore the book was written by an active
planetary scientist, was found in the university library, and was published by
Cambridge University Press, an established publisher.
Background Information: B. Dorminey, Distant Wanderers: the Search for Planets
Beyond the Solar System, 1st ed. (Copernicus Books, New York, 2002). Call number:
Carrier QB820 .D67 2002
Justification: This book examines the most current and generally accepted
theories about how extrasolar planets form, and includes the relatively current
progress made in the search for extrasolar planets as well as techniques for
discovering such planets. Furthermore, the book was found in the university
library, was published by an established scientific publisher, and is at a reading
level appropriate for high school and college students.
Further Reading: C. H. Lineweaver and T. M. Davis, “Does the Rapid Appearance of
Life on Earth Suggest That Life is Common in the Universe?,” Astrobiology 2, 293-304
(2002).
Justification: This article examines the theory that if life developed relatively
rapidly on Earth, then life must be common elsewhere in the universe. The article
includes information about the Drake Equation, an estimation for the number of
civilizations in our galaxy that we might come in contact with, but at greater
detail and specificity than the Discover article on the high school reading list.
Additionally, the article was written by current university researchers and
published in an established scholarly journal.
Further Reading: G. W. Marcy, “The New Search for Distant Planets,” Astronomy, 30-37
(Oct. 2006).
Justification: This article examines the most current and successful detection
methods for extrasolar planets and provides information about the habitable zones
of stars (distance from star where liquid water exists). Furthermore, the article
includes the most current discoveries of extrasolar planets and also the most
promising places for the search for life to continue. Finally, the article was
written by a current researcher in the field and was published by an established
publisher in the same issue as the initial chosen article. This article qualifies for
both the high school and college level reading lists because it provides valuable
information that is presented at an appropriate detail and specificity level for both
audiences.
C. Excluded Source and Justification
Excluded Source: "Extrasolar Planet." Wikipedia. 21 Sept. 2006. Wikimedia Foundation,
Inc. 24 Sept. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrasolar_planet>.
Justification: Although this webpage contains very valuable background
information and includes an extensive reference list, the name and credentials of
the author(s) is not included and the information can potentially be altered by a
non-credible source.
Reading List 3
Audience: A science faculty member at a college or university
A. Article with a Science Theme
M. Turnbull, “Where is Life Hiding?,” Astronomy, 58-63 (Oct. 2006).
B. Background Information and Further Readings, with Justifications
Background Information: J. F. Kasting, D. P. Whitmire and R. T. Reynolds, “Habitable
Zones Around Main Sequence Stars,” Icarus 101, 108-128 (1993).
Justification: This article provides a model for estimating the habitable zones
around stars, or the region around a star in which liquid water could be present.
The concept of habitable zones is central to the search for extraterrestrial life as it
is important to understand the constraints by which the search must adhere. This
article was written by three researchers in the field and was published in an
established scientific journal.
Background Information: J. S. Kim et al., “Formation and Evolution of Planetary
Systems: Cold Outer Disks Associated with Sun-Like Stars,” Astrophys. J. 632, 659-669
(2005).
Justification: This article presents the discovery debris belts around two stars that
seem to confirm the accumulative model of planetary formation, which is the
leading theory for how rocky planets like Earth are formed. The article also
provides an explanation for the theory, which is important background knowledge
with regard to the search for extraterrestrial life. The article was authored by a
large group of researches from several leading universities around the world and
was published in an established scientific journal.
Further Reading: F. D. Drake, Intelligent Life in Space (Macmillan, New York, 1962).
Justification: This is the original essay in which Frank Drake proposed his
equation for estimating the number of civilizations in our galaxy that we might
make contact with. The equation has since become famously known as the
“Drake Equation” and has provided momentum and credibility to the search for
extraterrestrial life. Due to the density of the article in terms of scientific
terminology it was not appropriate for inclusion in the high school and college
student level reading lists, but is certainly appropriate for a college faculty
member.
Further Reading: M. Turnbull and J. C. Tarter, “Target Selection for SETI. A Catalog of
Nearby Habitable Stellar Systems,” Astrophys. J. Supplement Series 145, 181-198
(2003).
Justification: This article catalogs nearby stellar systems that appear promising in
the search for extraterrestrial life. The article provides specific examples of the
types of star systems that researchers are examining, as well explanations as to
why those systems are being considered for examination with the SETI Radio
Telescope. Furthermore, the selection was coauthored by the same author as the
initial chosen article and was published in an established scientific journal.
C. Excluded Source and Justification
Excluded Source: T. R. Stuart, Destiny or Chance: Our Solar System and Its Place in the
Cosmos (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1998). Call number: Carrier QB501
.T248 1998
Justification: Although this book contains very valuable information regarding
our solar system and its formation, it is not as appropriate for a college faculty
member as the two chosen selections because it provides relatively fundamental
information that a college faculty member is likely to already know.
If a friend of mine were to undertake a similar assignment to the one completed
above I would offer the following advice. First, determine which areas are appropriate
for background information and which are appropriate for further reading. For
background information, look at the themes that are central to the chosen article and find
sources that further explain those. Sources for further reading should include information
that may build upon the contents of the initial article, or include information related to the
article, such as recent discoveries. Once the topics for background and further reading
have been decided upon it is easy to find sources using the university’s library catalog
and online journal databases. Understanding which sources are appropriate for a given
audience is based mostly on common sense. Sources from scholarly journals such as
Icarus and The Astrophysical Journal are probably not appropriate for high school
students or even entry level college students because of their advanced nature, but are
suitable for college faculty members. Similarly, books found in the university library on
the foundations of a subject or relatively basic articles from scientific magazines, such as
Astronomy and Discover, are appropriate for high school and entry level college students,
but not for college faculty members because of their broad, basic nature.