Origins - Part 1: Earth is Born, Part II: How Life Begin
by Neil deGrasse Tyson
AS101 Reading Assignment and Study Guide
"Origins" by Neil deGrasse Tyson
(Added) Course Outcomes:
* Explain the formation history of Earth and the evolution that took place leading to life.
Learning goals:
* To use popular media as learning sources
* To develop appreciation of popular media presentations
* "Origins Part I: Earth is Born":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoReJQ-rJYo (53 m)
On PBS: http://video.pbs.org/video/2052249215
* "Origins Part II: How Life Began":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Evc3nvga-LU (53m)
On PBS: http://video.pbs.org/video/1978170520
(** Part III and Part IV may be used in the second half of the semester)
(** In case of broken links or deleted content, do an online search for the videos)
PART I) Earth is Born
Q. How old is Earth?
Q. All of the very early stardust collapsed under the force of gravity to form a rotating
disk called what?
Q. What is the name given to the "young planets" which formed as a result of gravity
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Origins - Part 1: Earth is Born, Part II: How Life Begin
by Neil deGrasse Tyson
AS101 Reading Assignment and Study Guide
pulling particles together over time?
Q. Why haven’t rocks from Earth's youngest days survived?
Q. Where is the Asteroid Belt located?
Short Question: Discuss the meteorite discovered in British Columbia, its composition
and its significance.
Q. What is the name for the time period where global migration of elements occurred
(heavy metals sinking into the molten ocean, lighten elements floating on the top layer)?
Q. How large was the accumulation of iron at the Earth's core?
Q. What does the movement of molten iron at the Earth's core generate?
Q. What protects the Earth from solar winds?
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Origins - Part 1: Earth is Born, Part II: How Life Begin
by Neil deGrasse Tyson
AS101 Reading Assignment and Study Guide
Q. Why did Mars cool faster than Earth?
Q. What were the effects of Mars cooling so quickly?
Short Question: Why were scientists surprised about the age and the composition of the
Moon? What theory of Moon formation came out of it?
Q. What gives the Earth seasons and how did this initially happen?
Q. What would happen to the seasons without the stabilizing force of the Moon?
Q. What crystal found in Australia formed from the molten crust solidifying and what is
the estimated age of Earth's crust?
PART II) How Life Begin
Q. How old are the oldest fossils?
Q. What was the dominant gas in Earth's atmosphere 4 billion years ago?
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Origins - Part 1: Earth is Born, Part II: How Life Begin
by Neil deGrasse Tyson
AS101 Reading Assignment and Study Guide
Q. What was the name of the period when comets were frequently hitting the Earth?
Q. What gas was discovered in high quantities in a cave in Mexico and was also
believed to be heavily present in early Earth?
Q. In Stanley Miller's experiment, what did he discover when he combined the gases
present on young Earth, water, and an electric charge?
Q. How did examining rocks in Greenland suggest that life could have existed 3.8
billion years ago?
Q. How do scientists who are skeptical that life began on Earth believe it began?
Q. What compounds were present in the meteorite to hit Australia in the 1960s?
Q. What did Jennifer Blanks's experiment reveal about the effect of the impact on
organic compounds?
Q. How do microbes below the Earth's surface survive?
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Origins - Part 1: Earth is Born, Part II: How Life Begin
by Neil deGrasse Tyson
AS101 Reading Assignment and Study Guide
Short Question: Discuss the importance of Cyanobacteria and the connection to
chlorophyll, photosynthesis, oxygen for life on Earth.
Q. Which bacteria brought about the biggest change in life on Earth?
Q. What was created when the release of Oxygen into the oceans interacting with the
iron from volcanos?
Q. What is the current percentage of Oxygen in Earth's atmosphere attributed to its
release by cyanobacteria?
Q. How did Oxygen protect life on Earth?
Q. How long did microbes rule the Earth?
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