Astrobiology and the Origins of Life
Duration
- One Semester or equivalent
Contact hours
- 150 contact hours - Online
On-campus unit delivery combines face-to-face and digital learning. For Online unit delivery, learning is conducted exclusively online.
2023 teaching periods
| Hawthorn HOL Study Period 1 |
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|---|---|---|
Dates: Results: Last self enrolment: Census: Last withdraw without fail: |
Aims and objectives
This unit will provide an overview of the multi-disciplinary nature of astrobiology - combining geology, chemistry, biology and astronomy. It will investigate the origins and evolution of life on Earth, the interaction between life and its environment, and the search for life elsewhere in the Solar System and beyond.
Unit Learning Outcomes (ULO)
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
1. Identify and describe current theories of Solar System formation, the various theories of how life began on Earth and the parallel evolution of life and the environment
2. Discuss and explain how our limited understanding of life influences current searches for life in the Solar System
3. Recognise how astrobiology relates to other sciences
4. Explain basic principles and concepts about the synthesis of complex molecules in a non-technical way understandable to the wider public
5. Use problem solving skills to explain solutions to problems in astrobiology and the origins of life
6. Design and create a research project using credible sources of astronomical information and research articles and/or observational means
Unit information in detail
- Teaching methods, assessment and content.
Teaching methods
Type | Hours per week | Number of Weeks | Total |
Online Learning Activities | 4.62 | 13 | 60 |
| Unspecified Activities Independent Learning | 6.92 | 13 | 90 |
TOTAL | 150 hours |
Assessment
| Types | Individual or Group task | Weighting | Assesses attainment of these ULOs |
| Online Tests | Individual | 20-30% | 1,2,4,5 |
| Newsgroups | Individual | 20-30% | 1,2,3,4 |
| Project | Individual | 40-60% | 6 |
Content
- An introduction to astrobiology and its multi-disciplinary nature
- The early Earth and the rise of life
- The co-evolution of life and its environments
- Origin of the Solar System
- Molecular biology, the tree of life, and the search for the last universal common ancestor
- The synthesis of complex organic molecules on Earth and in space
- The possibility of life elsewhere in the Solar System
- Extrasolar planets, habitability and the signatures of life
Study resources
- Reading materials.
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required texts will be made available in the Unit Outline.