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Astronomy 5: Life in the Universesyllabus Fall 2011

Description (amended from the UCLA Catalog of Courses): Life on Earth andprospects for life elsewhere in the context of evolution of the universe from

simple to complex. Course material primarily from astronomy and biology butincludes some chemistry, geology, and physics. Selected topics treated in somedepth, with some quantitative content appropriate to a General Educationcourse. P/NP or letter grading.

time and place:lectures Monday & Wednesday, 2 3:15, Kinsey Pavillion 1240Bdiscussions section 1A: Friday, 11 11:50, MS 5128

section 1B: Friday, 12 12:50, MS 5128section 1C: Thurs., 3 3:50, MS 5117

instructor: Professor Mark Morrisoffice: 3-917 Physics and Astronomy Bldg.

phone: (310) 825-3320morris@astro.ucla.eduhttp://www.astro.ucla.edu/~morrisoffice hours: Tuesday 3 4 PM, Thursday 1 2 PMor by appointment call or email to schedule

teaching assistant: Kim Phiferoffice: 1704A (PAB TA Resource Center)kphifer@astro.ucla.eduoffice hours: Tuesday 2 4 PM, Thursday 9 10 AM

class web site: http://ccle.ucla.edu/course/view/11S-ASTR5-1Assignments, notes, and readings will be posted here.Feel free to make good use of the discussion board.

goals of the course:1) to elucidate the origins of the Earth in the context of structure formation in

the universe, star formation in our Galaxy, and planetary system formation,2) to tell the story of the emergence of life on our planet, to the extent that it iscurrently understood,3) to follow the co-evolution of the Earth and its biosphere up to the present

time,4) to characterize the cosmic habitats that might allow for the emergence of lifeelsewhere in the universe,5) to examine the factors that might make life either a rarity or a commonplace

occurrence in the universe, and finally,6) to investigate how we might undertake the search for signs of, or signalsfrom, life elsewhere in the universe.

Textbook:Life in the Universe, 3rd edition, authors: Jeffrey Bennett & Seth Shostak,2012, 2007, publ: Pearson/Addison Wesley. ISBN-10: 0-321-68767-1

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Some useful web sites:http://wps.aw.com/aw_bennett_liu_2http://www.seti.org/http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/http://www.lifeinuniverse.org/SiteMap.html

Grading and Exams:homework (weekly) . 30% of total grademidterm exam (Monday, October 31, in class) . 30% of total grade

final exam (Thurs., December 8, 3:00 6:00 AM) . 40% of total grade100%

policy on make-up exams: make-up exams are possible only in dire anddocumented circumstances, and only if the instructor is notified in advance.

Homework:Every week, you will be given a set of questions to respond to. These will be a

mix of qualitative problems, in which you will be challenged to think through theimplications of concepts from the class, some questions requiring key facts asresponses, and some quantitative problems. This homework will be due at theMonday lectures. It can be handwritten or typed, but must be legible.

Policy on late assignments: 25% grade reduction within 2 days of due date,otherwise 50% grade reduction.

Co m m e n t o n c h e a t in g : we have a zero-tolerance policy on cheating duringexams. Cheating is defined as copying from another students exam,inappropriate communications with other students, or using notes or anyother visual or audio resource during the closed-book exams. Studentscaught violating this policy will be referred immediately to the Dean of

Students, and will receive no credit for the exam.For doing homework, students are encouraged to work together if they prefer,but the assignments turned in must: 1) not be copied verbatim from anotherstudent, and 2) not be plagiarized from any printed or online source.

Disab i l i t i e s : if you wish to request an accommodation due to a suspected ordocumented disability, please inform the instructor and contact the Office forStudents with Disabilities as soon as possible at A242 Murphy Hall, (310)825-1501, (310) 206-6083 (telephone device for the deaf). Website:

www.osd.ucla.edu

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Subjects to be Covered, in order of presentation:

1. The Scientific Method

2. The Science of Astrobiology, & its Historical Origins

3. The Cosmic Arena: some perspective on the present-day universe constituents distance scales and time scales

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4. Evolution of the Universe From the Big Bang to the Earth gravity and structure formation galaxies and galaxy clusters stars and star clusters the birth and death of stars nucleosynthesis: the formation of the elements formation of planetary systems the Nebular Hypothesis terrestrial planets versus gas giants

5. The Dynamic Earth: lifes one known platform reconstructing Earths past in the geological and fossil record sequencing and dating Hadean Earth Formation of the atmosphere The Earths interior Plate tectonics The Earths magnetic field Climate and climate change

6. Life As We Know It

definition of life the theory of evolution cells and their biochemical basis Nucleic acids: DNA and RNA Branches on the tree of life Metabolism the use and flow of energy Genes and genomes: the genetic code Evolution at the molecular level Extremophiles what can life endure?

7. The Emergence of Life on Earth challenges to self-replication the RNA world?

isotopic evidence for the earliest life forms microfossils, blue-green algae, and stromatolites where did life begin? Panspermia?

8. Major Episodes of Niche Expansion, Species Radiation, and EvolutionaryInnovation

the appearance of eukarya oxygen! the transformation of the atmosphere the Cambrian explosion the advent and radiation of plants the colonization of land chordates fish amphibians reptiles mammals primates the lineage ofhomo sapiens

9. Setbacks and Detours major extinction events impacts and other catastrophes snowball earth the P-T boundary: the mother of all extinctions the K-T boundary and the demise of the dinosaurs the current blight: humans!

10. Life in Other Habitats of the Solar System

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is water a necessity? Mars as the (potential) abode of life Martian meteorites and the interplanetary migration of life the Jovian atmosphere the oceans of Europa Titan and other satellites of the gas giant planets

11. Moving Beyond the Solar System: What Constitutes Habitability? niches: liquid, solid, and gaseous media. Surfaces habitable zones around the Sun and other stars the role of planetary size: holding an atmosphere the greenhouse effect and runaway planetary warming evolution of the Sun, and the migration of the habitable zone the last days of the Earth the role of the central star: lifetime, mass, and stellar temperature brown dwarf stars? the problems with multiple star systems

12. Extrasolar Planets the recent explosive discovery of exoplanets

techniques used to discover planets, and their biases hot Jupiters and planetary migration the importance of heavy elements metallicity the technical challenge of finding terrestrial planets are terrestrial planets rare? the greater challenge of finding evidence for life on terrestrial planets

13. Cosmic Threats to the Progression of Life bombardments asteroids, comets, and other rogue bodies the protective role of Jovian planets is the Moon a factor? supernovae and gamma-ray bursts the radiation background from the Galaxy thermal, orbital, and climatological instability

14. Intelligent Life in the Cosmos definition of intelligence an inevitable consequence of evolution? How commonplace is it? the Drake Equation The endurance & stability of intelligent species and their civilizations Energy use, and the long-term impact of intelligent species on their

environments; Dyson Spheres

15. SETI: the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence Search strategies for intentional signals beacons Leakage radiation Likely time scales the technological status of potential

communication partners

UFOs?16. Interstellar Travel and Colonization of the Galaxy

physical limitations to travel between the stars energy considerations science fiction shortcuts motivations for colonization the Fermi Paradox where are they? facing one of two stunning conclusions: We Are Alone, or We Are Not

Alone. The implications of either are profound