ANSWER KEY

Is it alive?
The Martian and the Car
Marty Martian was sent to Earth by the Martian government to find life. While on Earth, Marty captured a car and brought it back to Mars. He thought he'd found a good example of life on Earth. The Martian government does not believe that the car Marty brought back is alive. Marty must stand trial for failing to perform his Martian duties. At the trial, Marty spoke in his defense. "I first saw these life forms rolling along roads in great numbers. They were giving off thick clouds of poisonous waste as they moved. They seemed to exhibit herding behavior, as many of the cars moved in the same direction. They appeared to have a great deal of energy, some of them moved faster than 60 kilometers per hour. When one of these life forms stopped or slow down, the others behind it responded. They slowed down and gave off a reddish light from the back, and sometimes they would make honking noises. I observed that they would stop to feed on a liquid substance." Take the part of Marty's defense attorney and make a good case for the car's being alive. Then be the prosecutor and show that the car is a nonliving thing. List as many reasons as you can. Use your characteristics of life handout to help complete this lists below. Remember, an object must have ALL 7 characeristics of life to be alive. name___________________________

Defense Attorney (Characteristics of Life it Has)

(Prosecutor) Characteristics of Life it DOES NOT HAVE

1. _______Obtains and Uses Material (Waste) & Energy (liquid feed)____ 2. ____Responds to the Environment (herding behavior, produce red lights, honking noises) ____ 3. ___________________________________ 4. ___________________________________ 5. ___________________________________

1. _______Made of Cells______________________ 2. _______Adapts and Evolves (herding may be an example)____________________________ 3. _______Displays heredity / DNA_____________ 4. _______Reproduces________________________ 5. _______Maintains Homeostasis_______________

Characteristics of Living Things

1) Circle any traits in the list below that are NOT mandatory characteristics of living things
Made of Cells Movement Adapts and Evolves Breathes (with lungs) Responds to Stimuli Obtains and Uses Materials & Energy Based on a universal genetic code (DNA) Shows Emotions Maintains Homeostasis Has specialized organs Reproduces Responds to the Environment Evolve (as a group)

_____2. In what basic way are living and nonliving things alike? a. they are all made of atoms b. they all exhibit all 8 features of life c. they all are made of cells d. they all can move Directions: Read each scenario and answer questions based on your reading.
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Scenario A: Computers can respond to stimuli in their environment. They are programmed to respond to typing and movements of the mouse. Computers also change over time. A state of the art computer this year will not be fast enough or have enough memory to keep up with the newer generations of computers in future years. Despite these characteristics, a computer is considered non-living.
3. What characteristics of life does a computer have?

___evolves as a group (change over time), respond to stimuli, obtain and use energy________ 4. Why is a computer considered non-living if it has some of the characteristics of life? ___not maintaining homeostasis, not made up of cells, cannot reproduce, no DNA/ heredity (NOT ALL 7)________________________________ Scenario B: A scientist is studying a unicellular organism under a microscope. The scientist can see the cell go through cell division to make two identical cells. The organism will also move toward the light when given the option. 5. Explain what characteristics of life this organism is demonstrating by giving specific details from Scenario B.
__made up of at least one cell, able to reproduce, respond to stimuli (environment), obtain and use energy, DNA/ heredity _____________________________________________________________________ 6. Explain which characteristics of life the scientist has not observed. ___DNA heredity, maintain homeostasis, adapt and evolve, _______________________________ 7. What should the scientist look for in order to find evidence of these missing characteristics of life? __change the temperature, observe over time, research (previous generations)____

Scenario C: When a person strikes a match it lights on fire. When you touch this fire to other objects, it creates more fire. The other objects (now on fire) can produce fire as well. If left alone, the flame will grow as long as it is near flammable objects.
8. What characteristics of life is the match demonstrating? ___reproduction, respond to environment, obtain and use energy_____ 9. What characteristics of life is the match not demonstrating? __not maintaining homeostasis, not made up of cells, no DNA/ heredity, cannot adapt or evolve 10. How might a scientist observe these missing characteristics to be able to determine that the match is or is not a living organism? _____change conditions it cannot maintain homeostasis, use a microscope__________________

Scenario D: Cows spend most of their day in the field eating grass. Grass is their primary source of food energy. In fact, cows have adapted to eating grass (which is hard to digest) by having multiples stomachs. Cows spend almost all of their time on their feet (even when they are sleeping), but when it is about to rain, cows will often lay down in the field. 11. What characteristics of life is the cow demonstrating?
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__obtain and use energy, respond to stimuli, adapt and evolve, maintaining homeostasis 12. What characteristics of life is the cow not demonstrating? _____grow and develop, DNA/heredity, cells, reproduce________________________________ 13. How might a scientist observe these missing characteristics to be able to determine that the cow is or is not a living organism? __watch them over time, microscopes, record temperature_______________

14)_______ A teacher suddenly turns on all the lights after her powerpoint presentation. The pupils in her students eyes quickly contract. In this scenario, the lights is the __?__ and the change in pupil shape is the __?__.
A) response / response B) response / stimulus C) stimulus / response D) stimulus / stimulus

15) ________All living things are made of at least one A) DNA molecule B) bone C) cell D) organ