Question

An Alien arrived on earth in 1947 at Roswell, NM in a single ship to determine if there were "living" organisms on earth. As the spacecraft approaches Roswell, the alien sees massive numbers of "organisms" moving in straight lines across the desert. He quickly "beams" one of these items pictured at the right into his ship as a specimen of a living organism. Using the class criteria for determining between living and non-living organisms explain how the Alien could justify that this specimen is "living".

a) It has complex structure and functions.
b) It moves in straight lines.
c) It is found in the desert.
d) It was beamed into the ship.

Answer 1

The alien would need to examine the specimen for the seven characteristics of life to justify it as living, including complex structure and functions. Movement alone or being found in a certain location does not confirm life, and the method of collection is irrelevant to determining if something is living.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine whether the specimen brought into the alien's ship is a living organism, the alien would need to apply the established criteria for life. In biology, characteristics that typically define something as alive include exhibiting a complex structure and having the ability to perform various functions, as well as the capability to grow, reproduce, respond to stimuli, maintain homeostasis, possess a metabolism, and change over time through adaptation or evolution. If the specimen shows these characteristics, it could be justified as a living organism.

While movement, such as moving in straight lines, might suggest life, movement on its own (point b) is not enough to declare something as living, since non-living entities like robots or vehicles also move yet do not satisfy the criteria for life. The location where a possible organism is found (point c) is also not a determiner for life. And the method by which the specimen was collected (point d), such as being beamed into a ship, has no bearing on whether it is living or not. Therefore, the alien would need to observe the specimen for the seven characteristics of life before concluding it is a living organism.

The environment and evolution play key roles in shaping the diversity and characteristics of organisms (point 49). As for the theoretical discussion regarding life on Europa, humanity must carefully consider ethical, scientific, and environmental implications of extraterrestrial life (point D).