Natural Science 0257 - Astrobiology

Are we alone in the universe? The essence of that question has likely been a source of inspiration since the dawn of humanity. The modern science of astrobiology is a transdisciplinary study of extraterrestrial life in the universe drawing from active research in astrophysics, biology, chemistry, and geology. A microbiologist, an astronomer, and a planetary scientist have teamed up to take you through this inter-disciplinary course, where we will look at the history of extraterrestrial debate and analyze the science behind astrobiology. We will investigate the properties of life as we know it and extrapolate these properties to consider the potential for simple life forms to exist on Mars and elsewhere in our solar system, to the possibility of intelligent life on habitable planets near distant stars, and finally the implications of extraterrestrial life to life on Earth.

Writing and Research Additional Instructor: M. Dyar, MHC