Getting Started: Life on Earth and Mars
In Getting Started: Life on Earth and Mars, Professor Brian Cox explains the conditions that are required for life to begin. Learn how Earth and Mars had these conditions at the same time. Could life have started in two places at once? Or might the life on Earth have come from outer space? This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
Lesson Express
Q: What type of images has the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) sent back?
A: The MRO sent back images of weather, sand dunes, avalanches, and seasonal sand movement. It took pictures of the Eridania Basin, an ancient sea.
Q: Do you think life emerged in one place or multiple places at once? Why?
A: Student responses will vary.
Q: How were the environments in early Earth and early Mars similar?
A: Both planets had similar geologic activity, including hydrothermal vents that may have created the beginning of life.
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In Volcanic Planet: Exploring Venus, Professor Brian Cox explains how Venus went from being a planet with the conditions to sustain life to a hot, cloudy, hellish landscape. Learn how greenhouse gases and volcanoes played a role in making Venus what it is today. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.
In Volcanic Planet: Exploring Venus, Professor Brian Cox explains how Venus went from being a planet with the conditions to sustain life to a hot, cloudy, hellish landscape. Learn how greenhouse gases and volcanoes played a role in making Venus what it is today. This video is excerpted from BBC’s The Planets, a series that explores the dramatic lives of the eight planets in our Solar System.