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Resumen de tesis. Thermodynamics and life Past, Present and Future of the use of energy by living beings
Otros títulos
Thermodynamics and life Past, Present and Future of the use of energy by living beings
Autor(es)
Director(es)
Materia
Physics
Tesis y disertaciones académicas
Universidad de Salamanca (España)
Resumen de tesis
Thesis Abstracts
Termodinámica
Física
Atmósfera
Exobiología
Thermodynamics
Fecha de publicación
2015-07
Resumen
[EN] Life emerged on Earth more than 3.5 Gyr ago and it has been using energy
ever since. The purpose of this thesis is to study several aspects of the
relationship between energy and life. First, I start with the analysis of the
nitrogen requirements of life in the Early Earth, and conclude that life was
not able to produce enough biological nitrogen by itself, meaning that other
sources of energy were required by the time. In the course of evolution, life
developed the ability to use the solar energy that reached the surface of our
planet, and its use modified not only the evolution of the living beings but also
the evolution of the atmosphere. The changes in the atmosphere were followed
by changes in the maximum efficiency in the energy obtainable from solar radiation.
On a different aspect, it is believed that Mars was inside the so-called
habitable zone once, where liquid water exists and the conditions are suitable
for life, but now the environment is dry and harsh. Despite the fact that we
have not found life so far in the planet, a biosphere might be living beneath
the regolith and chemolithotrophic organisms could be using chemical energy
to survive in the current martian environment. I analyse the energetic features
of the present day near-surface martian atmosphere using the state-of-the-art
knowledge of the thermodynamic variables nowadays, provided by rovers and
satellites. As many of those spacecrafts are powered with solar energy, the
knowledge of the maximum obtainable work of solar cells in the environment
of Mars is extremely important for the future of exploration and colonization
of the planet. I provide clues on the maximum efficiency of solar radiation in
the planet under different conditions.
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