Deeper, Deeper, Deeper Still
Study Guide for Episode 6
Episode 6: Deeper, Deeper Still
People
• Thales of Miletus is recognized as the first person in Western civilization to engage in scientific philosophy. He sought explanations for natural phenomena by hypothesis and theory, rather than by mythological explanations.
• Democritus is considered by some to be the father of modern science. He first formulated the theory that matter is composed of atoms, although there was little evidence in his time to bear on the question of whether matter was particulate or continuous.
• Wolfgang Pauli, one of the founders of quantum mechanics, postulated the existence of what we now know as the neutrino about 25 years before it was discovered.
Ideas
• Basic concepts of chemistry: atom, element, molecule, compound, physical change, chemical change, kinetic energy, potential energy, and temperature. Look up these terms in Wikipedia, a modern dictionary, or a science textbook. In Wikipedia, usually reading the first paragraph or two of such an entry will give you the key aspects.
• Basic aspects of the chemistry of life. Read the introduction, HERE, to a mini-textbook on the chemistry of life, for lay readers.
• The composition and structure of the molecules of life: carbohydrates (sugars and starches), lipids (fats, oils, and membranes), proteins (enzymes, antibodies, receptors, ... ), and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA).
Updates
• Organic molecules have been observed on Ceres, the largest object in the Asteroid Belt. They were detected by infrared spectroscopy, and they appear to have originated on the asteroid, suggesting that prebiotic chemistry might be common on even the smaller bodies of a solar system. Read more HERE.
Readings
• Poem: "The Abacus and the Rose". Read it HERE. What is this poem about? In the last line, what is "the spring"?
• Thales of Miletus is recognized as the first person in Western civilization to engage in scientific philosophy. He sought explanations for natural phenomena by hypothesis and theory, rather than by mythological explanations.
• Democritus is considered by some to be the father of modern science. He first formulated the theory that matter is composed of atoms, although there was little evidence in his time to bear on the question of whether matter was particulate or continuous.
• Wolfgang Pauli, one of the founders of quantum mechanics, postulated the existence of what we now know as the neutrino about 25 years before it was discovered.
Ideas
• Basic concepts of chemistry: atom, element, molecule, compound, physical change, chemical change, kinetic energy, potential energy, and temperature. Look up these terms in Wikipedia, a modern dictionary, or a science textbook. In Wikipedia, usually reading the first paragraph or two of such an entry will give you the key aspects.
• Basic aspects of the chemistry of life. Read the introduction, HERE, to a mini-textbook on the chemistry of life, for lay readers.
• The composition and structure of the molecules of life: carbohydrates (sugars and starches), lipids (fats, oils, and membranes), proteins (enzymes, antibodies, receptors, ... ), and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA).
Updates
• Organic molecules have been observed on Ceres, the largest object in the Asteroid Belt. They were detected by infrared spectroscopy, and they appear to have originated on the asteroid, suggesting that prebiotic chemistry might be common on even the smaller bodies of a solar system. Read more HERE.
Readings
• Poem: "The Abacus and the Rose". Read it HERE. What is this poem about? In the last line, what is "the spring"?
