Life in the Universe

Catalog description

The problem of the existence of life beyond Earth is investigated, drawing from recent research in astronomy and other fields. ASTRO 140 Life in the Universe (3) (GN)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. The possibility of life beyond Earth is one of the great unsolved puzzles of human thought and has been debated for millennia. An answer would fundamentally change the relationship between the human race to the rest of the Universe. Advances in modern physics and astrophysics have dramatically changed and enriched the understanding of our cosmic surroundings, but have not yet produced an unambiguous evidence concerning the extraterrestrial life. Yet, significant progress has been made on certain aspects of the problem. Recent observations of protoplanetary disks around young stars, planets around solar-type stars and a rapidly spinning pulsar (a Penn State discovery), and pervasive organic molecules throughout the Galaxy give tantalizing, albeit indirect, hints in favor of the existence of nonterrestrial life. "Life in the Universe" is envisioned to be an attractive choice for students who are interested in enriching and broadening their understanding of modern science. The course is highly interdisciplinary, combining evidence from several fields of science to describe our chances to encounter life beyond Earth and the Solar System. Selecting this course would be a logical choice for students who completed and enjoyed ASTRO 1 (GN), ASTRO 5 (GN), or ASTRO 10 (GN). The students are expected to reach the following goals from this course: - learn to appreciate limitations of human experience and a role of the interdisciplinary approach in solving scientific problems - gain understanding of a relationship between the physical Earth, its biosphere, and the rest of the observable Universe - examine in some detail a contemporary problem of scientific investigation: the astrophysical evidence for planets around stars other than the Sun - assess the scientific significance of searches for extraterrestrial life including technological civilizations. Lectures systematically cover the topics listed in the course outline at a level appropriate for non-science students, although students from the Planetary Science & Astronomy major, as well as other science and engineering majors, can take the course. While general understanding of astronomy from the prerequisite course is expected, the necessary physical and astrophysical concepts are reintroduced to assure a logical and coherent flow of information throughout the course. Videos are used to illustrate a number of topics, such as the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, physical conditions on planets of the Solar System, the detection of planets around a neutron star, and to evaluate the scientific content of science fiction movies.