EARTH AND LIFE

SCIENCE
Why is Earth called the
‘living planet’?
Learning Targets

1. Determine the characteristics of Earth making

this planet sustainable to lifeforms.
2. Expound how the characteristics of Earth
sustain the needs of living organisms.
3. Appreciate Earth as a habitable zone.
 8.

7.

6.

5.

SUN 4.

3.

2.

1.
 8. Neptune

7. Uranus

6. Saturn

5. Jupiter

SUN 4. Mars

3. Earth

2. Venus

1. Mercury
 8.

7.

6.

5.

SUN 4.

3.

2.

1.
Life-Supporting
Characteristics of
Earth
 Salient Features of Earth
TEMPERATURE
- influences how quickly atoms and
molecules move
- Life seems to be limited to a
temperature range of -15˚C to 115˚C. In this
range, liquid water can still exist under certain
conditions.
 Salient Features of Earth
ATMOSPHERE
- traps heat, shields the surface from harmful
radiation, and provides chemicals needed for life, such
as nitrogen and carbon dioxide
- Earth’s atmosphere is about 100 miles thick. It
keeps the surface warm and protects it from radiation
and small to medium-sized meteorites.
 Salient Features of Earth
ENERGY
- Organisms use light or chemical energy
to run their life processes.
- With a steady input of either light or
chemical energy, cells can run the chemical
reactions necessary for life.
 Salient Features of Earth
NUTRIENTS
- used to build and maintain an organism’s body
- All solid planets and moons have the same
general chemical makeup, so nutrients are present.
Those with a water cycle or volcanic activity can
transport and replenish the chemicals required by living
organisms.
 Salient Features of Earth
WATER
- It is the most important chemical
necessary for life.
- Majority of the Earth’s structure is
water. In fact, approximately 70% of Earth is
water.
 Salient Features of Earth
MAGNETIC FIELD
- At the core of Earth is a load of
molten iron that protects the atmosphere.
 Venus

Mars

Mercury

Earth
 Terrestrial Planets are the inner planets closest
to the Sun, i.e. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
The terms "terrestrial planet" or "telluric planet"
are derived from Latin words for Earth (Terra and
Tellus), as these planets are, in terms of structure,
"Earth-like".
Terrestrial Planets are composed primarily of
silicate rocks or metals.
A silicate mineral is generally an ionic
solid whose anions consist predominantly of
silicon and oxygen atoms.
Earth, Venus, and Mars may have similarities:
(1)They all are terrestrial planets, made of solid rocks
and silicates.
(2)They all have an atmosphere.
(3)They all almost have the same time to rotate on
their axes.
(4)Earth and Mars both have water.
(5)They all have carbon dioxide.
(6)All have landforms.
Earth, Venus, and Mars have differences:
(1)Venus has no water.
(2)Venus and Mars don’t have oxygen.
(3)Earth has life forms, thus known as
Blue Planet.
Discovery Alert: Two 'Nearby' Worlds Might be
Habitable
The discovery: Two planets about as massive as Earth orbit a
red-dwarf star only 16 light-years away – nearby in
astronomical terms. The planets, GJ 1002 b and c, lie within
the star’s habitable zone, the orbital distance that could allow
liquid water to form on a planet’s surface if it has the right
kind of atmosphere.
Jan.24,2023 I https://exoplanets.nasa.gov
 Salient Features of Earth as a Habitable Planet

◦ Temperature ◦ Nutrients
◦ Atmosphere ◦ Water
◦ Energy ◦ Magnetic field