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, German |
| 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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
FAQs
How It Works
Trabajo del curso
Cada curso es como un libro de texto interactivo, con videos pregrabados, cuestionarios y proyectos.
Ayuda de tus compañeros
Conéctate con miles de estudiantes y debate ideas y materiales del curso, y obtén ayuda para dominar los conceptos.
Certificados
Obtén reconocimiento oficial por tu trabajo y comparte tu éxito con amigos, compañeros y empleadores.
Creators
The University of Edinburgh
Influencing the world since 1583, The University of Edinburgh is consistently ranked as one of the world's top 50 universities. Today, we are an established and global leader in online learning, providing degree-level education to 3,000 online students in addition to 36,000 students on-campus. We also offer a wide range of free online courses in a variety of subjects. To find out more about studying for one of our online degrees, search for ‘Edinburgh online’ or visit www.ed.ac.uk/studying/online-learning/postgraduate
Ratings and Reviews
First of all, thank you for such a wonderful course. Special thanks to prof. Cockell for teaching in such an informative and relatable way. After this course my love and fascination for this subject has increased. Let's see how far our civilization goes succeed in finding extra terrestrial intelligence. Once again thanks for these wonderful lectures.
This was a very informative course and it widened my field of thinking and knowledge. I was amused by the vast amounts of wonders that this Universe has to offer. I thank the Professor for this.
A good introduction. Now where is the follow up?
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SP
It has been an exciting journey completing this course.