Know If Scorpio Interested

Life and silicon. An objective look

silicon dioxide molecules forming a
twinned crystals. Credits: www.123rf.com

few days ago I had the opportunity to exchange views with Jorge Laborda , Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Castilla-La Mancha. The issue that we talked was none other than the possibility of the existence of life forms based on silicon chemistry, in particular ended up talking about the problems that exist to find it. During this conversation, arguments Jorge gave me a great scientific weight to forge an objective opinion about the options in silicon at the biological level.

To begin, let's look at what we face: What is silicon? It is a chemical element in the periodic table situated just below the carbon which gives a special character because it has 4 electrons in its valence shell , which gives an intermediate character between the uptake and transfer of electrons from other atoms to complete its outer shell.

abiotic level silicon can be found in our daily lives. The so-called "crystal"-because in reality it is a glass-forming vessels we have in the kitchen is made up primarily of silicon. But equally the transistors that form the integrated circuits of the device from which you are reading these lines are also formed by silicon wafers. As a significant fact Silicon dioxide or silica is part of 25% of the crust of our planet.

Now for the biological aspect. But first things we know: carbon. What's so special? Jorge Laborda, in Chapter 2 of his book A Luna, a civilization says that "it is true that carbon is the central element of life, and that while perhaps life could arise even in the absence of nitrogen, no could ever arise in the absence of carbon. " One advantage is that carbon is abundant in the universe, but that is very easy to join with other carbon atoms, allowing form long chains, while the ease of interacting with other elements such as hydrogen, oxygen or nitrogen, among others.

But keep in mind another aspect: the water, fulfilling its role of absorbing disorder and coupled with the versatility provided by the carbon molecular, the molecules formed by him with other light elements can be sorted and organized in the liquid element .

And you might think that with silicon could spend the same. But what actually happens? Jorge Laborda is clear: "on paper, it would be possible, perhaps, but in the reality of our universe is impossible." It supports on the argument that "silicon binds oxygen with greater force than it binds to other elements" and so it's normal to find it in the form of silica or silicates.

The link between silicon and oxygen is so strong and so stable silica "prefer to join silicon to oxygen rather than anything else, including himself," notes Laborda based on proven scientific evidence. This strong link that makes it difficult to form long chains silicon and in the case of shaped, silicon and oxygen alone, without other elements.

The only possibility is to find an environment provides in which no oxygen, but there is a problem is that, according to determinations made abundance of chemical elements, Jorge brings out in his book that "for every silicon atom has nine oxygen atoms in the universe."

back into the water, "there is no other liquid that is capable of doing the same thing, referring to the management and organization, with silicon-based molecules" when he meets other lighter elements, hence " would still have the problem that they were in a medium that would allow them to organize themselves spontaneously "makes us see Laborda, to conclude by saying that" without that organization, life is probably impossible. "

I recommend the book A Luna, a civilization and follow his blog" Quilo science. "If you want to know more about it, I also suggest listen to this podcast where Jorge speaks at length about the topic that concerns us today.

Today we only know the carbon-based life and is poised to remain so long as the another candidate in which it was thought, silicon, has many difficulties. But for now we settle for finding life on any of the exoplanets that we are aware interest or bodies in our Solar System. Having found it, we'll see what new avenues and possibilities offered to us to continue this great adventure.

---

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Viper Filmstream For Sale

The anti-evolutionists and their videos, analyze one of them

Many people, mostly religious grounds, attacked tirelessly to biological evolution, for this they use the media available in the XXI century, of which YouTube can be a powerful tool, since many videos can result in brainwashing almost immediate in people who are not informed.
Many of these videos, I leave one of many. I want to see this as a game very healthy for their minds.
As we discussed a lot about evolution, free their minds of prejudice and watch this video (no surprise, better watch it sitting)



I will not tell anything about the video yet, think about it and cuestiónense the things he says, in what is wrong?
I discuss later, think!

Ap Biology Lab Five Cell Respiration Answers

The other

Detail satellite Europa surface obtained by the Galileo probe
. Credit: NASA / JPL / University of Arizona / University of Colorado
.

When the vast majority of people hear the word Europe, I often come to mind cities like Paris, Madrid and Brussels. But for a small group of people, including myself included, when we hear that word does not think about cities, monuments or countries of the continent. What comes to mind is the giant icy satellite of Jupiter, in my case, I guess its icy crust torn with red filaments rich in salt, giving a distinctive look to other solar system bodies.

The first person on record in Europe was seen Galileo Galilei with his small telescope on January 7, 1610, although there is a side that believes it was the German astronomer Simon Marius the true discoverer of these moons some days before. Whatever the true discoverer, found that Jupiter was orbited by a set of 4 satellites, which were subsequently called Galilean in honor of the Italian astronomer. Years later expanded catalog of satellites of the gas giant which currently are estimated A total of 63 moons.

Although Europe is the smallest of the Galilean is why no less important because Europe is surrounded by a layer of ice, but behind it seems to be a salty ocean where it can make living conditions, which gives it great interest . My colleague Olga Prieto Ballesteros has a Ph.D. in planetary geology of the Center for Astrobiology (CSIC-INTA) told me that "Europe is exploring a new challenge for planetologists and astrobiology."

The trajectory of the spacecraft around the planet Jupiter is very elliptical, which causes the tidal are greater the closer you are, this means that there are tensions within, to deform and cracks occur showy reddish surface.

But what for me is the most important consequence of these forces is what some called tidal heating, allowing the melting and forming the ocean Europe. "So far our habitabildad concept focused on the surface of planets, but Europe breaks with that statement, and forces us to look inside," said my companion. Parameters such as water temperature reached will be crucial for determine if conditions allow the existence of life, thought to be very similar to what might be found in Lake Vostok located on the Antarctic continent. "In the coming decades, he argues Olga-space missions will have to determine the physical, chemical and geological characteristics of the subsurface, and see if Europa's ocean is or is not hostile to life."

If all goes smoothly, in situ exploration Europe could begin in 2020 with the launch of the mission EJSM / Laplace (ESA / NASA), the mission is still planned, and has been the result of a difficult choice between explore this satellite or re Titan, but Cassini-Huygens mission has already had the opportunity to explore the Saturnian satellite. On this occasion, is Europe's turn. ---


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Where Does Megan Goode Shop

Battleground Europe: Zarmina

image HARPS spectrograph installed on the telescope

3.6-meter La Silla Observatory (Chile). Credits:

European Southern Observatory (ESO)

seems that we have Gliese 581-g for a while ... As if it were a Ryder Cup, the battle between Europe and the United States presents itself as an endless tug of war. yet confirmed the existence of the exoplanet and and has been referred to colloquially as Zarmina.

all started in September 2010 when Steven Vogt and his team published an article claiming to have discovered The exoplanet Gliese 581-g. Soon after, we analyzed the star orbited with HARPS , the instrument on the ground that most exoplanets discovered to date y. .. no trace of Zarmina.

Now a U.S. team that participates in the English Mercedes López Morales (IEEC-CSIC) and not only confirms the existence of Gliese 581-g but it makes a correction of the size of the extrasolar planet in question. These new studies are published in Astrophysical Journal . As I have read in the newspaper Public , López Morales thinks that if we could travel to Gliese 581-g "would be like being in the Canary Islands, as they'd have a limit temperatures of -9 ° C and 51 º C. But even if I had areas of 25 º C as the archipelago, I doubt that, in the case of absence of the exoplanet, its atmosphere is so peaceful and it is ours.

Moreover, Phillip Gregory, University of British Columbia (Canada) has been collating data from different telescopes we have obtained data from exoplanet Zarmina course and come to a conclusion: there is only Gliese 581-g but not Gliese 581-f, S. Vogt announced simultaneously.

in the daily also Public said about this battle exoplanet expert at astrophysicist and alien to the two investigations Ignasi Ribas (IEEC-CSIC) where he stated that "the U.S. team. UU. Calculated completely circular orbits for the planets of Gliese 581, but when used other elliptical, more like what we see in other solar systems, Gliese 581-g disappears. "

Web

The RTVE , I have read that S. Vogt believes there is "a 100% chance that life exists" in the newly named Zarmina. Before making such an assertion, a scientist should await verification by other scientists that not be corroborated, the larger the claim, the bigger the bang and this could undermine the researcher's scientific career.

If I opt for one of two teams who deal in this battle, I do it for the old continent, mostly because I think need to be confirmed by another research team considered valid for an investigation. Also, if there really Zarmina, HARPS have detected any indication of the exoplanet, but this has not happened.

With the announcement in September 2010 the "discovery" of Gliese 581-g started a space race. This time there is between the U.S. and Russia since in this case Europe has relieved the Soviet country. This new race has a much more ambitious goal: to find a planet where there are real possibilities of existence of life. The race has begun, and the struggle to defend and dismiss Zarmina is the first step and now need to see who gets the upper hand, but above all, to see how long it takes to reach the goal. ---


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