LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Bacteria ballistics

http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/sci_update.cfm?DocID=188

Provider: American Association for the Advancement of Science

About this resource

Appropriate grades
6
Subjects
thinking skills (higher order thinking, information literacy)
Provider
American Association for the Advancement of Science

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In this Science Update, students explore the possibility that microbes from Mars may have once seeded the earth. Wayne Nicholson, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona and Jay Milosh, a planetary scientist, are trying to determine if microbes from Mars could have reached the Earth. The two scientists shot pellets seeded with bacteria into hardened clay in order to replicate the acceleration forces that would be generated from an impact-mediated launch from Mars. After the meteorite, ALH84001 crashed into earth in 1996, scientists have studied how physical evidence gave credence to a hypothesis called panspermia, which can provide clues on how life first began on earth. Science NetLinks provides a link to the audio file, a written transcript, and questions to engage students in a discussion about panspermia, advantages and limitations to the scientists’ experiments, and questions that would need to be answered in order to support the hypothesis. This activity also contains links to an article on panspermia from Space.com, information on Mars meteorites from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, and article on astrobiology from NASA’s Ames Research Center.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

Science (2005)

Grade 6

  • Goal 1: The learner will design and conduct investigations to demonstrate an understanding of scientific inquiry.
    • Objective 1.01: Identify and create questions and hypotheses that can be answered through scientific investigations.
    • Objective 1.05: Analyze evidence to:
      • Explain observations.
      • Make inferences and predictions.
      • Develop the relationship between evidence and explanation.
    • Objective 1.08: Use oral and written language to:
      • Communicate findings.
      • Defend conclusions of scientific investigations.
    • Objective 1.09: Use technologies and information systems to:
      • Research.
      • Gather and analyze data
      • Visualize data.
      • Disseminate findings to others.
    • Objective 1.10: Analyze and evaluate information from a scientifically literate viewpoint by reading, hearing, and/or viewing:
      • Scientific text.
      • Articles.
      • Events in the popular press.
  • Goal 5: The learner will build understanding of the Solar System.
    • Objective 5.01: Analyze the components and cycles of the solar system including:
      • Sun.
      • Planets and moons.
      • Asteroids and meteors.
      • Comets.
      • Phases.
      • Seasons.
      • Day/year.
      • Eclipses.
    • Objective 5.04: Describe space explorations and the understandings gained from them including:
      • N.A.S.A.
      • Technologies used to explore space.
      • Historic timeline.
      • Apollo mission to the moon.
      • Space Shuttle.
      • International Space Station.
      • Future goals.
    • Objective 5.05: Describe the setting of the solar system in the universe including:
      • Galaxy.
      • Size.
      • The uniqueness of Earth.
    • Objective 5.06: Analyze the spin-off benefits generated by space exploration technology including:
      • Medical.
      • Materials.
      • Transportation.
      • Processes.
      • Future research.