Planetary Habitability

Catalog description

Aspects of star and planet formation, habitable zones, biospheric evolution, life in extreme environments, planet and life detection. ABIOL 574 ABIOL 574 Planetary Habitability (3)This course introduces graduate students to the foundations of the field of Astrobiology. Astrobiology is a new, multidisciplinary field of science encompassing astronomy, biology, microbiology, biochemistry, genomics, chemistry, atmospheric chemistry, geochemistry, paleontology, geology, and many other fields of science and technology. Astrobiology includes the study of the origin of habitable planets, origin of life, the connections between the evolution of life and of environments, the potential for life and life's actual distribution in our solar system and beyond, and future of life on Earth and in space. Students will expand their knowledge base beyond their discipline while considering such issues as the origins of stars and planets, environmental conditions of the prebiotic Earth, the origin of life on Earth, the nature of the universal "tree of life", the establishment of evolutionary patterns and rates, the causes of global glaciations and their use as analogues for life on planets or moons such as Europa, how life survives in extreme environments on Earth, what determines planetary habitability, how planets in other solar systems are detected, and how we might detect life on other planets. This is a required course for all students in Dual-Title Degree Program in Astrobiology, but is open to any qualified undergraduate or graduate student. There is no specific prerequisite. Grading will be based on participation and performance on a midterm and final examination, problem sets, and laboratory exercises.