About this course: Learn about the origin and evolution of life and the search for life beyond the Earth.
Created by: The University of Edinburgh
Taught by: Charles Cockell, Professor
Astrobiology
| Language | English, Subtitles: Russian, Romanian |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Life and Its Origins
What is life and what are the definitions of life? What do we know about the origin of life and what are the current hypotheses for how it originated on the Earth?
10 videos
- Video: Welcome
- Video: Introduction
- Video: History of Astrobiology
- Video: What is Life?
- Video: Life on Earth
- Video: Structure of LIfe: Building Blocks
- Video: Structure of LIfe: Cells
- Video: Origins of Life: Building Blocks
- Video: Origins of Life: Location
- Video: Origins of Life: Alternative Chemistries
Graded: Introduction and History of Astrobiology
Graded: Life: The Basics
Graded: Origins of Life
WEEK 2
Life on Earth
What was the environment of early Earth like when life first emerged and what do we know about life on the earliest Earth? How did life evolve to cope with survival in extreme environments? What have been the major evolutionary transitions of life on the Earth?
7 videos
- Video: Formation of the Solar System
- Video: Conditions on the Early Earth
- Video: Evidence of Early Life
- Video: The Tree of Life
- Video: Life in Extreme Environments
- Video: The Rise of Multicellularity
- Video: The Great Oxidation Event
Graded: Life on the Early Earth
Graded: Life Through Time
WEEK 3
Habitable Environments Elsewhere in our Solar System?
What are the prospects for life on other planetary bodies in our Solar System and how do we go about searching for it? What conditions are required for a planet to be habitable?
7 videos
- Video: What Makes a Planet Habitable?
- Video: The Search for Life on Mars
- Video: Mars as a Location for Life
- Video: Could We All be Martians?
- Video: Europa
- Video: Enceladus
- Video: Other Icy Bodies
Graded: The Habitability of Mars
Graded: Life and Icy Bodies
WEEK 4
The Search for Habitable Exoplanets
How do we search for Earth-like planets orbiting distant stars and how would we detect life on them?
5 videos
- Video: Methods
- Video: Types of Planets
- Video: Biosignatures of Life in Exoplanet Atmospheres
- Video: How to Look for Biosignatures
- Video: Missions to Search for Biosignatures
Graded: The Search for Exoplanets
Graded: Biosignatures on Exoplanets
WEEK 5
Extraterrestrial Intelligence
What are the possibilities for intelligent life elsewhere? How would we deal with contact with an extraterrestrial intelligence and what would be the impact on society? Who would represent Earth?
4 videos
- Video: Is There Anybody Out There?
- Video: Contacting Extraterrestrial Civilizations
- Video: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
- Video: The Social Dimension
Graded: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Graded: Societal Implications of Contact with ET
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Ratings and Reviews
A very good introduction to the topic of Astrobiology.
This was awesome! I enjoyed taking the lectures! <3
Very informative and great course material.
P.S- fabulous mentors
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RS
It is necessary to include the recent findings in Astrobiology and outcome of recent space missions. Probably a new module that includes these topics can be added to the course.