After reading Chapter 3, "Water and Life", I was not really blown away by any new information. I had already learned in chemistry about acids and bases, the properties of water and also buffer solutions. I also have a good understanding of the math behind the pH scale and also chemical equation writing and solving. Though I knew the information in the chapter, I was still happy to go back over these concepts because I haven't used any of them for at least a year and a half. I feel much more in the biology mindset than the physics mindset I was in at the end of last year.
As for the evolution connection question at the end of the chapter, I believe that astrobiologists are interested in studying extremophile organisms because it means that there could be life flourishing on planets previously though uninhabitable because of their extreme heat, cold, acidity or basicity. This would shatter the traditional views on life, that life was confined to a certain temperature range or pH scale level as life on earth is. Furthermore, research on extremophiles could lead scientists to consider the possibility of life on other planets that have extreme conditions, such as the methane rich Neptune or the scorching hot Venus. Other extremophiles also flourish in areas full of materials toxic to most organisms, yet somehow these organisms still thrive. These organisms are evidence that there can be life just about anywhere in the galaxy because the range of conditions for life would be greatly expanded.
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