BIOL 1210 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Drake Equation, Simple Series Video Games, Abiogenesis
Document Summary
755): the most impactful variable that is taken into account is the number of sun-like stars. This variable is heavily based on the location and type of star, both of which have limitations to sustain life. In order for life to exist, there must be several important chemical factors in play: carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen are the four main elements that sustain life on earth. It is now considered fact that hydrogen fusion occurs in the core of stars: heavier elements, such as carbon or oxygen (as opposed to hydrogen and helium) have more electrons, which allow them to make more bonds. The timeline of the universe is known; mostly scientifically proven, partially speculated: we can estimate when the first population 2 stars have gone supernova. These events may slow the evolution of intelligence: examples of these cataclysmic events are ice ages, or events of great extinctions.
