EPSc 230 - Introduction to Astrobiology

This class is for science and non-science majors.

Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors welcome.

Also teach an advanced Astrobiology class next Spring.

Heavy emphasis on participation (in many shapes and forms!)

Goals/Objectives to foster:

- critical thinking about scientific issues - understanding the process of science - understanding of how science effects society

Overall themes of the class is to develop an understanding of:

- the history of life on the Earth - what events have shaped the history of life on Earth - history of the solar system and the universe - how life fits into the context of the solar system and universe - search for life on other planets - focus on microbial life and life in extreme environments

Course Web Site

Contact information, Syllabus, all handouts and links, links to Astrobiology web resources, lecture PowerPoint slides (afternoon after the lectures large files may take time to print) http://epsc.wustl.edu/classwork/classwork_480/Astrobiology Home/Intro_to_Astrobio/IntroAstro_Homepage.html

-

Links to it from EPSc dept. web page:

http://epsc.wustl.edu, Faculty, Carrine Blank http://epsc.wustl.edu, List of Courses Offered Check the web site several times a week.

Any problems downloading documents - let us know immediately!

Web site is continuously evolving, feel free to send links/updates.

Course Email List

[email protected]

E-mail fellow students (exam questions).

E-mail me a question (all students will also see the question).

Will be activated early next week.

I will be the moderator, so watch what you say!

Let me know if anyone prefers to

not

be on the list.

Lectures

Three lectures per week (MWF):

- 3 midterms (100 points) - 1 comprehensive final (50 points) - exams will cover all material covered in lectures, discussion section, videos, and handouts.

Reading Material:

- reading in textbook (recommended, but not required) supplementary reading material on the course website, on eres (if copyright protected), or on reserve in Earth & Planetary Sciences Library - will mention this material in lecture & on website - eres password: titan (not on the website)

Titan and its dense atmosphere, imaged by the Cassini Spacecraft.

Titan (below) and Saturn (above left) both to scale, imaged by the Cassini Spacecraft.

Discussion Sections

One discussion section per week (MF):

- led by TA Tom Evans - prepare for discussion section - download file ResQuestionsWeek1.doc (Weeklies page) - will be available 1 week before your discussion section - read background materials (download from Weeklies page) - answer questions - research materials on the web - hand in answers to Research Questions (late assignments not accepted) - verbal participation - attendance required/tallied

Class Participation Credit

Turn in newspaper or magazine articles (

2 points

) 2 page in-depth/thoughtful critique about a movie dealing with Astrobiology using evidential reasoning and evaluating authority (

5 points

) New Horizons launch party - must have photo documentation that you participated (photo with you in front of the TV showing the rocket launch with a date stamp on the photo) Maximum 12 points per week, total of 50 points for the semester.

Be creative, but ASK FIRST! and ask for point value first.

What is Astrobiology?

Fairly young scientific field started going in the 50’s and 60’s.

Gained significant strength in the last 10 years.

Word Astrobiology is a combination of the words Astronomy (study of the universe) and Biology (study of life) … study of life in the context of the universe.

Is a vibrant, interdisciplinary field.

Studying conditions conducive to the formation of life.

On Earth, other planets in our solar system, other planets around other stars, search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Finding no life on Mars is just as significant as finding life on Mars.

What is Astrobiology? cont.

Three fundamental questions that Astrobiology strives to answer:

1.

How does life begin and develop?

2.

Does life exist elsewhere in the universe?

3.

What is life’s future on Earth and beyond?

Much of the focus is on studying Earth, Earth’s history, modern life on Earth, and past life on Earth.

Also involves missions to other planets.

Knowing whether liquid water is present on Mars today or in its past is important.

Astrobiology Includes Many Traditional Sciences

Geology Paleontology Microbiology Organic Chemistry Planetary Sciences Cosmochemistry Engineering Astronomy Evolutionary Biology Biochemistry Materials Science Oceanography Astrophysics Philosophers and Ethicists Historians and Educators Planetary Protection

What is an Astrobiologist?

Broad range of scientists.

Trained in their own scientific disciplines.

(or in multiple disciplines - Geobiology, Biogeochemistry).

Work within their own discipline on research topics important to answering fundamental questions in Astrobiology.

Often hold national conferences to share observations and discoveries.

Write scientific papers in the scientific journals.

New Astrobiology journals….

Life in the Universe

Hubble Space Telescope image of Sedna takes 10,500 years to circle the Sun!

Our Solar System has 9 (or 10 - Sedna discovered in 2004) planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and interplanetary dust.

Interplanetary Dust Particle 10 µm across made by dying and exploded stars

Milky Way galaxy has 100 billion stars (100,000,000,000).

Universe has 100 billion galaxies.

Many stars have planets.

Some like Jupiter and Saturn.

Some may be like Earth.

Potential for a large number of Earth-like planets (ELPs).

Is Life Rare?

Hard to image, given the potentially large number of ELPs.

But we have no evidence of life outside of our own Earth.

Is life common?

- Life may be a natural process and part of the universe.

- Universe may be full of life.

Earth is not “special”.

Is life rare?

- Origin of life a rare event, perhaps a singular event despite the abundance of ELPs.

Earth is “special”.

Photo of Jupiter with moons Europa (near Red Spot) and Callisto (left) - 2001 Cassini Spacecraft image.

Habitable Worlds

Offers environmental conditions where

some

form of life could originate or survive. (NOT whether the planet has life or not).

Growing evidence for:

- Habitability of Early Mars - Habitability of Oceans of Europa (moon of Jupiter)

Artists’ rendition of what Early Mars may have looked like

What Kind Of Life Might We Find?

New discoveries show that Earth life can live in a variety of extreme environments once thought to be

sterile

.

Extremophiles

- extreme loving Most think that if life is found elsewhere, it will probably be

microbial

.

Resources for Starting Out

Chapter 1 in the text.

Basic Information About the Planets:

Nineplanets.org

http://www.nineplanets.org/

Basic Information About Astrobiology:

The SpaceRef Dictionary at Astrobiology.com

http://www.astrobiology.com/ David Darling’s Encyclopedia of Astrobiology, Astronomy & Spaceflight http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/ETEmain.html

Basic Information About Anything & Everything:

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page