MadSci Network: Earth Sciences |
Given that we are discovering lots of planets orbiting around all different kinds of stars, your question is a timely one. I think that the way we and the other life forms look on Earth is very dependent on the type of Sun we have. One important trait is the fact that our eyes are the most sensitive to the same wavelengths of light as that which the Sun radiates the most. Otherwise, we would be stumbling around a lot and would probably get eaten. Indeed, the plants are green because the chlorophyll which converts the sunlight to energy wants to absorb as much sunlight as possible. If we were orbiting a blue star, for instance, our plants would most likely be much bluer and might be a little tougher to account for the increase in ultraviolet radiation emitted by a blue star. There are some signs that our skin color is related to the type of environment we descended from but its tricky to say since groups of people have migrated across the globe over the years. So, yes. I thin that we and the life around us would look a little different if the Sun were blue or redder.
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