CHAPTER 12

Which of the following would lead an animal to a higher encephalization quotient (EQ) as it evolved? 1. Growth in brain mass but not in body mass 2. Growth in technological capabilities 3. Growth in both brain mass and body mass 4. Growth in body mass but not in brain mass

1. Growth in brain mass but not in body mass

Based on scientific study of the evidence, scientists conclude that the famous Roswell crash of 1947 most likely involved ________. 1. an Air Force balloon experiment 2. an alien spacecraft 3. an unknown vehicle made of materials unlike any that humans can produce 4. a Russian spy plane

1. an Air Force balloon experiment

The result of a calculation with the Drake equation is intended to be an estimate of the number of worlds in the galaxy on which ________. 1. civilizations capable of radio communication currently exist 2. intelligent life has arisen at some time 3. life has arisen at some time 4. civilizations of any type have existed at any time, past or present

1. civilizations capable of radio

The bandwidth of a radio transmission is a measure of ________. 1. the dominant frequency in the transmission 2. the signal-to-noise ratio in the transmission 3. the amount of power carried by the transmission 4. the range of frequencies that carry information in the transmission

4. the range of frequencies that carry information in the transmission

In 1974 we transmitted a message toward the globular cluster M13 which is 21,000 ly away. What is one reason that this object was probably not ideal for sending a message to? 1. globular clusters contain, old, low mass stars with fewer heavy elements and hence are not ideal places for life 2. globular clusters contain young, high mass stars with insufficiently long main sequence lifetimes and hence are unsuitable places for life 3. it is so far away that we will probably have stopped communicating before we receive and return signal 4. the message will be absorbed by interstellar dust before it reaches the cluster

1. globular clusters contain, old, low mass stars with fewer heavy elements and hence are not ideal places for life

Nikolai Kardashev suggested that civilizations might be divided into 3 distinct categories

1. planetary: which use the resources of their home planet 2. stellar: which corral the resources of their home star 3. Galactic: which employ the resources of their entire galaxy

In the Drake equation, a value of flife that is close to one and a value of fciv that is close to zero would imply ________. 1. primitive life is common but intelligent life is rare 2. primitive life is very rare, but those planets that have life almost inevitably get a civilization 3. most habitable planets never actually get life on them 4. most civilizations destroy themselves within just a few hundred years of arising

1. primitive life is common but intelligent life is rare

It is unlikely that we will be able to detect the signals from civilizations in other galaxies because 1. signals from other galaxies will be severely weakened by distance, making them far harder for us to detect 2. they will most likely transmit at wavelengths that will be absorbed by intergalactic gas 3. other galaxies are unlikely to harbor intelligent civilizations 4. signals from civilizations on other galaxies will not reach us before we give up listening

1. signals from other galaxies will be severely weakened by distance, making them far harder for us to detect

how do we search for intelligence today

1. signals used for local communication on the world where intelligent beings live: our own radio and TV signals 2. Signals used for communication between a civilization's home world and some other site 3. intentional signal beacons: such as the type searched for by project Ozma, they are purposefully designed to get the attention of other societies

Cocconi and Morrison suggested that every SETI experiments turn their dial to

1420 MHz

Given that life on Earth appears to have arisen quite easily and rapidly suggests that the factor flife, in the Drake equation could be close to 1. 0.5 2. 1 3. 0.25 4. 0

2. 1

Try the following sample numbers in the Drake equation (Number of Civilizations = NHP flife fciv fnow). Suppose there were 1000 habitable planets in our galaxy, that 1 in 10 habitable planets had life, that 1 in 4 planets with life had at some point had an intelligent civilization, and that 1 in 5 civilizations that had ever existed is in existence now. How many civilizations would exist at present? 1. 25 2. 5 3. 5000 4. The answer cannot be determined with the given data.

2. 5

Life arose relatively early in Earth's history, but intelligence evolved only recently. If we assume Earth is "typical," what would we conclude? 1. Intelligence inevitably evolves once you have life. 2. Intelligence is likely only around stars at least about as old as the Sun. 3. On an Earth-like planet, intelligence will inevitably evolve from more primitive life. 4. SETI efforts should focus on globular clusters, which contain the oldest stars in the galaxy.

2. Intelligence is likely only around stars at least about as old as the Sun.

Suppose that a civilization around a nearby star had television like we do. Could current SETI efforts detect their television transmissions? Why or why not? 1. Yes, as long as the star is no more than about 100 light-years away. 2. No, the signals are too weak. 3. Yes, as long as we look at the right frequencies. 4. No, the frequencies used for television cannot travel far through space.

2. No, the signals are too weak.

Which of the following statements about the Drake equation is true? 1. Astronomical research will soon give us firm values for all the terms. 2. Some of the terms depend on sociological factors and therefore cannot be determined through astronomy alone. 3. We currently know all the terms of the equation to an accuracy within a factor of two. 4. We know all the terms in the equation within a few percent, except for the last term, fnow.

2. Some of the terms depend on sociological factors and therefore cannot be determined through astronomy alone.

The Lagrange points L4 and L5 of the Earth-Moon system are ________. 1. points in the Moon's orbit at which we see a first- or third-quarter moon 2. points at which the orbital period around Earth is exactly one day 3. points at which we have made a major effort to search for alien artifacts 4. points where an object could float without being pulled toward either Earth or the Moon

4. points where an object could float without being pulled toward either Earth or the Moon

In the Drake equation (Number of Civilizations = NHP × flife fciv × fnow), what do we mean by fnow 1. The fraction of planets with life on which a civilization has at some point arisen 2. The fraction of planets that have had a civilization (capable of sending signals) on which the civilization exists at the present time. 3. The fraction of all species ever to exist that we currently are aware of 4. The fraction of civilizations capable of radio communication that currently are beaming messages in our direction

2. The fraction of planets that have had a civilization (capable of sending signals) on which the civilization exists at the present time.

The fact that marine predators such as dolphins and sharks have similar streamlined shapes despite different ancestry is an example of what we call ________. 1. natural selection 2. convergent evolution 3. adaptive behavior 4. narrow bandwidth

2. convergent evolution

Suppose that we discover life on Mars with an origin independent of life on Earth. Which term in the Drake equation would we then think likely to be higher than we would consider it if there were no life on Mars? 1. fnow 2. flife 3. NHP 4. fciv

2. flife

One of the most likely places an advanced civilization might leave an artifact for us to find would be 1. on the far side of the Moon 2. the L4 and L5 points in the Earth—Moon system 3. in the Cydonia region of Mars 4. in the desert of Roswell, New Mexico

2. the L4 and L5 points in the Earth—Moon system

Which of the following did Nikola Tesla do? 1. He invented the radio. 2. He invented the electric car. 3. He claimed to have detected an interplanetary communication from another civilization. 4. He built a large telescope for studying civilization on Mars.

3. He claimed to have detected an interplanetary communication from another civilization.

The 1420 MHz (21 cm) radio line generated by neutral hydrogen atoms is a good choice for interstellar communications because 1. it is the easiest radio frequency to generate 2. it is the only frequency to which radio telescopes can be tuned 3. all intelligent civilizations should be aware of its universal significance and would probably also think of sending and receiving signals at this frequency 4. it is the only radio frequency that is not blocked by interstellar matter

3. all intelligent civilizations should be aware of its universal significance and would probably also think of sending and receiving signals at this frequency

An organism with an Encephalization Quotient (EQ) of 1 is expected to be of 1. the lowest possible intelligence 2. above-average intelligence 3. average intelligence 4. below-average intelligence

3. average intelligence

The adoption of very similar streamlined body shapes by both sharks and dolphins provides evidence for 1. cross-breeding 2. life originating in the oceans 3. convergent evolution 4. genetic mutations

3. convergent evolution

Assuming we receive a signal from a civilization on the other side of our galaxy, a two-way conversation with them is ________. 1. unlikely because they won't speak our language 2. likely because once communication is established, it would be natural to want to converse 3. unlikely because of the great distance involved 4. unlikely because one civilization may be much more advanced than the other

3. unlikely because of the great distance involved

The rare-Earth hypothesis would predict that the factor flife, in the Drake equation should be close to 1. 0.5 2.0.25 3. 1 4. 0

4. 0

What is the distinguishing characteristic that radio SETI experiments are looking for when searching for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence? 1. Radio emission that has all its spectral lines at the frequencies produced by hydrogen atoms 2. Radio emission containing the value of pi or other mathematical constants 3. Radio emissions spread over a wide band of frequencies 4. Radio emission that extends over only a narrow band of frequencies

4. Radio emission that extends over only a narrow band of frequencies

What is an animal's encephalization quotient (EQ)? 1. The result of an IQ test given to the animal 2. The time since the animal split off from its last common ancestor 3. The ratio of the cortex size to the size of the rest of the brain 4. The ratio of its brain mass to body mass

4. The ratio of its brain mass to body mass

How is intelligence defined in the Drake Equation? 1. a civilization that has developed language 2. a civilization capable of spaceflight 3. a civilization that communicates using telepathy 4. a civilization willing and able to communicate over interstellar distances

4. a civilization willing and able to communicate over interstellar distances

The fact that Encephalization Quotients (EQs) of organisms have generally increased with time provides evidence for 1. genetic mutation 2. sartificial selection 3. cross-breeding between organisms 4. convergent evolution toward intelligence

4. convergent evolution toward intelligence

The organisms with the next highest Encephalization Quotient (EQ) ratios after humans are 1. whales 2. human 3.chimps 4. dolphins

4. dolphins

The ____ is designed as a way of estimating the number of intelligent civilizations in the Milky Way.

Drake equation

Drake Equation

Nhp x Flife X Fciv x Fnow

What is the Drake equation?

Tried to summarize the factors that would determine whether any attempt to detect intelligent extraterrestrials could succeed

How did Modern SETI begin

attributed to two scientists cocconi and morrison. they realized that since the galaxy is much older than our solar system that there could be civilizations among the stars that have been around for way longer than we have

High-mass main-sequence stars have a more __ and __ habitable zone than low-mass stars.

distant wider

will intelligence inevitable spawn technology

even if a species was intelligent enough to develop science and technology, their bodies may not allow them to be as advanced as we are

The different time periods of the ____ are defined by changes in fossils found from those time periods.

geological time scale

what is Fciv

it is the fraction of life-bearing planets on which a civilization capable of interstellar communication has at some time arisen.

How did SETI begin?

in the early 20th century, two pioneers of wireless technology became wrongly convinced that they had heard aliens on the airwaves. One night Tesla was working on a device and noted some electrical disturbances which he believed were aliens

second thought

intelligence is likely

first thought

intelligence that is comparable to our own is unlikely (develop science and technology)

Incoming ultraviolet light from the Sun can cause a ___ in a living organism's DNA that can affect its ability to survive and reproduce.

mutation

The notion that living organisms with advantages that give them greater reproductive success (in some local environment) will survive while others perish is an example of what Darwin called ____

natural selection

what was the first modern SETI experiment

project ozma

Sky surveys looking for radio signals generated by technology are part of the

search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

what is fnow

the fraction of civilization-bearing planets that happen to have a civilization now

what if flife

the fraction of habitable planets that could actually have life

Drake equation can be used to calculate

the number of civilizations existing elsewhere in our galaxy from which we could potentially get a signal from

what does Nhp stand for

the number of habitable planets in the galaxy

One of the key premises for the ____ is that living organisms are able to produce far more offspring than their environment can support.

theory of evolution

even if life is widespread, is intelligence common?

there are two opposing thoughts

how to decode a signal

we look for reptition