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.
Corequisites
NilAims 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
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, general skills outcomes and content.
Teaching methods
Type | Hours per week | Number of Weeks | Total |
Online Contact Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning | 12.5 | 12 | 150 |
TOTAL | 150 hours |
Assessment
| Types | Individual or Group task | Weighting | Assesses attainment of these ULOs |
| Computer Managed Tests | Individual | 20% | 1,2,4,5 |
| Newsgroups | Individual | 30% | 1,2,3,4 |
| Project | Individual | 50% | 6 |
General skills outcomes
During this unit students will receive feedback on the following key generic skills:
· Analysis Skills
· Problem Solving Skills
· Communication Skills
· Ability to tackle unfamiliar problems
· Ability to work independently
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
- Text books.