Artificial Life
Team Name __________________________________________________________
ROUND 1
1. How old is the earliest known evidence of life on Earth?
2. Who played Frankenstein’s monster in the 1931 movie Frankenstein?
3. In 1953, Stanley Miller and Harold Urey tried to simulate primordial conditions in the lab and found that they could produce amino acids from simple gases. What one feature is common to their experiment and Dr. Frankenstein’s?
4. Which of the four DNA bases—Adenine, Thymine, Guanine, and Cytosine—is not found in RNA?
5. What two roles do scientists think RNA might have played in early self-replicating systems?
6. Which ancient philosopher, in his text entitled Moralia, was the first to state the problem of the chicken and the egg?
7. If a chicken and a half lays an egg and a half in a day and a half, how many eggs do twelve chickens lay in twelve days?
8. Which geothermal site does Dave Deamer use to try to simulate the origins of life?
Team Name __________________________________________________________
ROUND 2
1. 1953 saw a lot of exciting biology besides the Miller-Urey experiment mentioned in the last round. What scientist, famous for another 1953 discovery, was among the first to propose the “RNA World” hypothesis? (For a bonus point: for which 1953 discovery is this scientist known?)
2. What is the name of the interdisciplinary science devoted to looking for early life forms on planets other than Earth?
3. Name two of the three requirements for evolution.
4. What organism, which is a friend of pub-goers everywhere, was the first to have its enzymes studied?
5. What’s the term for an RNA molecule that can act as an enzyme?
6. How much would it cost to buy the equivalent of an ~150lb adult male, broken down into his component molecules (amino acids, fats, sugars, salts, etc.), from a chemical supply company?
a) $1,000-$10,000
b) $10,000-$20,000
c) $10-$100
d) $0: according to the Federal Biotic Reconstruction Administration (FBRA)'s 1998 “Bottom-Up Initiative,” such reagents <ok?> are subsidized for basic research.
7. What 2000 movie starring Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe has a title that describes what the scientists in the NOVA scienceNOW clip are looking for?
8. Using the “Six degrees of Kevin Bacon” method, connect Meg Ryan to the actor who played Frankenstein’s monster.
9. The movie Jurassic Park is based on a book that dramatizes one kind of “experiment” of creating life in the lab. Who is the author of the book?
10. Biologists try to answer questions about life. Of course, Douglas Adams already gave us the answer to life, the universe, and everything in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. What’s the answer?
11. One of the questions that arises in biology is “what does it mean to be alive”? One film that addresses this issue is Monty Python and the Meaning of Life. In the middle of that movie, what is the audience asked to find?
12. Which single off of Pearl Jam's 1998 album “Yield,” had a cartoon-animated music video?
ROUND 1 – ANSWER KEY (ARTIFICIAL LIFE)
1. How old is the earliest known evidence of life on Earth? 3.9–2.1 billion years
2. Who played Frankenstein’s monster in the 1931 movie Frankenstein? Boris Karloff
3. In 1953, Stanley Miller and Harold Urey tried to simulate primordial conditions in the lab and found that they could produce amino acids from simple gases. What one feature is common to their experiment and Dr. Frankenstein’s? Both require lightning
4. Which of the four DNA bases—Adenine, Thymine, Guanine, and Cytosine—is not found in RNA? Thymine (T)
5. What two roles do scientists think RNA might have played in early self-replicating systems? Genome and catalyst/replicase/polymerase
6. Which ancient philosopher, in his text entitled Moralia, was the first to state the problem of the chicken and the egg? Plutarch
7. If a chicken and a half lays an egg and a half in a day and a half, how many eggs do twelve chickens lay in twelve days? 96
8. Which geothermal location does Dave Deamer use to try to simulate the origins of life? Bumpass Hell in Lassen Volcanic National Park
ROUND 2 – ANSWER KEY
1. 1953 saw a lot of exciting biology besides the Miller-Urey experiment mentioned in the last round. What scientist, famous for another 1953 discovery, was among the first to propose the “RNA World” hypothesis? (For a bonus point: for which 1953 discovery is this scientist known?) Francis Crick (bonus answer: DNA double-helix)
2. What’s the name of the interdisciplinary science that looks for early life-forms on planets other than Earth? Astrobiology (or Xenobiology or Exobiology)
3. Name two of the three requirements for evolution. Inheritable variation, selection, amplification
4. What organism, which is a friend of pub goers everywhere, was the first to have its enzymes studied? Brewers’ yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)
5. What’s the term for an RNA molecule that can act as an enzyme? Ribozyme
6. How much would it cost to buy the equivalent of an ~150lb adult male, broken down into his component molecules (amino acids, fats, sugars, salts, etc.), from a chemical supply company?
a) c) $10-$100 (c) (~$40 US)
7. What 2000 movie starring Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe has a title that describes what the scientists in the NOVA scienceNOW clip are looking for? Proof of Life
8. Using the “Six degrees of Kevin Bacon” concept, connect Meg Ryan to the actor who played Frankenstein’s monster. Multiple possible answers. Judges should use their best judgment—for reference, Boris Karloff, who played Frankenstein, died in 1969. Known connections:
Boris Karloff was in Son of Frankenstein with Bela Lugosi;
Bela Lugosi was in Plan 9 from Outer Space with Paul Marco;
Paul Marco was in Ed Wood with Martin Landau;
Martin Landau was in Rounders with Matt Damon; and
Matt Damon was in Courage Under Fire with Meg Ryan;
Meg Ryan was in Prelude to a Kiss (1992) with Patty Duke; and
Patty Duke was in The Daydreamer (1966) with Boris Karloff
9. The movie Jurassic Park is based on a book that dramatizes one kind of “experiment” of creating life in the lab. Who is the author of the book? Michael Crichton
10. Biologists are trying to answer questions about life. Of course, Douglas Adams already gave us the answer to life, the universe, and everything in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. What’s the answer? 42
11. One of the questions that arises in biology is “what does it mean to be alive?” One film that addresses this issue is Monty Python and the Meaning of Life. In the middle of that movie, what is the audience asked to find? The fish
12. Which single off of Pearl Jam's 1998 album "Yield," had a cartoon-animated music video? Do the Evolution