Scientist 1: Scientist 1 claims that the best spot to find gold is near volcanic areas. This scientist claims that the high temperatures and high pressure helps to form the gold. Therefore the best area to find large quantities of gold is near volcanoes.

Scientist 2: Scientist 2 asserts that the best area to find gold is in rivers. In the rivers the gold can be free flowing and easier to see. In addition, the gold found in the rivers does not necessarily require equipment for digging. It is is found in the river due to the water carrying, rather than eroding it. 

What is not taken into account by Scientist 1? 

Scientists have long debated the origin of organic molecules on Earth. Organic molecules are those based on the atom carbon, which can form four distinct bonds in contrast to the fewer number allowed in most other non-metals. As a result of this property, carbon can give rise to the enormously complex molecular shapes necessary for life to arise.

Some scientists argue that organic matter was dissolved in water ice on comets, and brought to Earth early in its history. These comets crashed into the early Earth, and deposited carbon-based molecules in copious quantities to the Earth’s surface as their water melted.

In 2014, the first space probe landed on the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Suppose that scientists find the following information from 5 distinct samples after landing on the comet. Each sample was taken at a single geographical location, but 5 meters deeper than the last. Sample 1 was taken at a depth of 1 meter below the surface.

These samples were compared to 5 similar samples from the surface of Mars. Scientists posited that this comparison would be meaningful because we know that life does not exist on Mars the same way that it does on Earth. Thus, they are comparing a known non-biological celestial body, Mars, with another celestial body, the comet, which may be seeding life on suitable plants.

The data presented in the passage most closely support the idea that:

The origin of the universe has been a highly debated topic among physicists. In the middle of the twentieth century, there were two prevalent models regarding the origin of the universe. The first model, called the Big Bang Theory, suggests that the universe was spontaneously created approximately 14 billion years ago. The second model, called the Steady State Theory, suggests that the universe contains no beginning or end, is always expanding, and contains a constant density.

Initially, the Big Bang Theory was widely disregarded by physicists and astronomers. In fact, the name “Big Bang” was coined by Fred Hoyle, a supporter of the Steady State Theory, who used the term in a derogatory manner. The Big Bang Theory suggests that prior to the creation of matter, a physical object that occupies space and possesses mass, the universe was filled homogenously with high-energy density and very high temperature and pressure. The universe was rapidly expanding and cooling resulting in the creation of atoms. The initial atoms that were produced were much lighter than the atoms currently found on earth, the lightest of which are hydrogen, helium, and lithium. After this initial creation of the universe, it continued to expand.  The Big Bang Theory is now the prevalent theory for the origin of the universe.

The Steady State Theory suggests that there is no start or end to the universe in time or space, yet the universe is always expanding. Furthermore, the Steady State Theory states that new stars and galaxies replace old stars and galaxies and the overall appearance of the universe does not change over time.

Two sources of evidence are used to support or refute the discussed hypotheses. The first piece of data is the presence of primordial gas clouds, pockets of the universe that contain gases lighter than those found in the current universe. The second piece of evidence is that other galaxies are “red shifted”. The term red-shift indicates that as objects move farther away, the light they emit changes wavelength and appears to be more red.  

The Big Bang Theory states: