12 Exploring planets: besides telescopes, what means have we used to explore planets (and the moon)?
13. The Earth
13.1 Interior of Earth
13.1.1 Why it has a core, how we know the core is molten
13.1.2 Layers of the earth, their basic characteristics
13.1.3 Plate tectonics, what they are, how they work
13.1.4 What produces the magnetic field of the earth?
13.2 Earth's atmosphere
13.2.1 Where did it come from
13.2.2 How has life affected it
14. Properties of the planets
14.1 The moon
14.1.1 How it formed
14.1.2 Age of the moon and how it is determined
14.1.3 How the cratering rate has changed over time
14.2 Mercury
14.2.1 Evidence for great heat during formation
14.2.2 Range of surface temperatures, why it is so large
14.3 Venus
14.3.1 Comparison with Earth
14.3.2 Surface features, composition
14.3.3 Venus greenhouse, how it works, what it does
14.3.4 Greenhouse on Earth, how it works
14.3.5 What effect are humans having on the earth's greenhouse effect?
14.4 Mars
14.4.1 Canals - what are they?
14.4.2 Geology - plate tectonics, volcanos
14.4.3 Weather - atmosphere
14.4.4 Evidence for water
14.5 Jupiter
14.5.1 Size compared with other planets, nature of the interior and "surface"
14.5.2 Internal energy and its effect on weather
14.5.3 Jupiter's magnetic field and what it tells us about the inside of the planet
14.5.4 What the surface of Jupiter is like
14.6 Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
14.6.1 Similarities and differences in internal structure between Saturn and Jupiter
14.6.2 How the internal structures of Uranus and Neptune differ from Jupiter and Saturn, and why
15. Smaller members of the solar system
15.1 Jupiter's moons
15.1.1 Io characteristics
15.1.2 Europa characteristics
15.1.3 Ganymede, Callisto, trend in properties with distance from Jupiter
15.2 Outer planet moons
15.2.1 Titan unique characteristics
15.2.2 Triton unique characteristics
15.2.3 Composition of smaller moons
15.3 How rings are formed
15.4 Pluto
15.4.1 How it was discovered
15.4.2 Relation of Pluto to system of small icy objects in outer solar system
15.5 Solar system debris
15.5.1 Four major types (list)
15.5.2 Asteroids
15.5.2.1 Why they didn't form into a planet
15.5.2.2 What they are made of
15.5.3 Meteors - where they come from, what they are made of
15.5.4 Comets
15.5.4.1 How they are different from asteroids
15.5.4.2 Where they come from, how they get into the inner solar system
15.5.5 Kuiper Belt - what it is
16. Conditions for life
16.1 Long term climate
16.1.1 Size of variations in output of the sun
16.1.2 Solar cycle and climate
16.1.3 How we measure temperature for millions of years ago
16.1.4 Greenhouse effects and climate changes
16.1.5 Causes and effects of changes orbital geometry and tilt affecting the severity of the seasons
16.1.6 Other effects on the climate
16.2 Habitable zones
16.2.1 What is a "habitable zone"
16.2.2 List the most important conditions required to make life as we know it possible (11 of them)
17. Is life "out there"?
17.1 How life formed on Earth
17.1.1 Earliest forms of life
17.1.1.1 When did life first appear (that we have evidence for)
17.1.1.2 What form was the earliest life we know about?
17.1.1.3 What are the four key steps in getting to early life as we know it?
17.1.1.4 What role do errors in making copies play in forming life?
17.2 Life on Mars
17.2.1 Have we found evidence for life on Mars?
17.2.2 Why will we continue to look for it?
17.3 Advanced life
17.3.1 How long did take to get to cells without nuclei to cells with nuclei?
17.3.2 What was the Cambrian Explosion? How long from cells with nuclei to it?
17.3.3 How does sex assist in the development of complex life forms?
17.4 Mass extinctions
17.4.1 What role does chaos play in asteroid bombardment of the earth?
17.4.2 How is destruction spread over the Earth after a large impact?
17.4.3 Have we seen anything similar to the events leading to mass extinction on other planets?
17.5 Emergence of intelligent life
17.5.1 What is convergent evolution?
17.5.2 What is the encephalization level?
17.5.3 How has the encephalization level of the most "brainy" animals changed over the history of life on earth
17.5.4 Can we expect a similar pattern wherever complex life exists?
17.6 Contacting other civilizations
17.6.1 Why it is difficult to visit others
17.6.2 The Drake Equation, what (if anything) it tells us
17.6.3 Why we look for signs of radio transmissions by other civilizations