The ingredients necessary for life should be briefly reviewed, and the students challenged to think of examples on Earth where, for instance, oxygen isn't necessary for life, nor sunlight. A good example of both would be the 'black smoker' vents where hot water issues from the deep sea floor, creating a unique ecosystem based on the chemical energy obtainable from minerals in the hot water. Tube worm colonies, etc., live in such places.

Mass extinctions produced by large impact events, like the one that produced a huge crater on the Yucatan Peninsula 65 million years ago (Chicxulub crater) and contributed to the demise of the dinosaurs, open the door for increased biodiversity among the animals that survived (like mammals, after the dinosaurs were gone). The water and carbon compound building blocks on the Earth today may also have initially come from impacting asteroid and comet materials. We don't yet know whether carbon compounds are present on Europa, but some amount should have been provided by impacting asteroid and comet material, as well.

The instructor should print out the two image sheets and carefully make as many two-sided copies as there are players or teams, plus one extra (answer key). Be sure the images on each side are perfectly aligned with each other. When this is done, simply cut out the gamepieces on each sheet.

The answer key is especially nice if the sheets are pasted to both sides of posterboard or foam core, available from art supply or craft stores. Showing the completed puzzle at the beginning of the game is useful but optional.

If you are not able to print two-sided copies, print as many individual sheets as you will need, and then paste the two sheets together back to back, so that the life puzzle (trilobite) image is on one side, and the mosaic of life ingredients is on the other. Again, be sure the images on each side are perfectly aligned with each other, and in the same orientation as the key. After pasting, cut out the gamepieces on each sheet.

• After each third roll (after rolls 3, 6, 9 and 12), student teams might be allowed to trade a gamepiece (one for one) with another team in order to have some of each of the ingredients for life.
• The instructor may allow the students to see the arranged gamepiece key (not the trilobite side!) during play, so that the appropriate proportions of each ingredient can be sought out. It will still be difficult to obtain exactly the right combination, because there are multiple examples of each ingredient necessary, with different portions of the trilobite on the back of each gamepiece.

• The level of detail of discussion of the different ingredients necessary for life and the impact hypothesis of mass extinctions can be varied for effective use of this game for a variety of grade levels from Grades 3 through 9.
• By allowing more trades, or making other modifications of the instructor's own choice, the game can be made easier to win. Design your own customized version of the game and have fun!

Discuss probabilities, and how to calculate the of odds of life on other worlds (Drake Equation)

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This module was written by Brian Exton (National Optical Astronomy Observatories, Tucson AZ).

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Galileo Solid State Imaging Team Leader: Dr. Michael J. S. Belton

The SSI Education and Public Outreach webpages were originally created and managed by Matthew Fishburn and Elizabeth Alvarez with significant assistance from Kelly Bender, Ross Beyer, Detrick Branston, Stephanie Lyons, Eileen Ryan, and Nalin Samarasinha.

Last updated: September 17, 1999, by Matthew Fishburn

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