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?
9 videos
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
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
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
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
Graded: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Graded: Societal Implications of Contact with ET
FAQs
How It Works
Coursework
Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.
Help from Your Peers
Connect with thousands of other learners and debate ideas, discuss course material, and get help mastering concepts.
Certificates
Earn official recognition for your work, and share your success with friends, colleagues, and employers.
Creators
The University of Edinburgh
Delivering excellence in teaching and learning.
Consistently ranked as one of the world's top 50 universities and top 3 UK provider of online Masters courses. The University of Edinburgh offers over 700 diverse degree programmes with over 31,000 students currently studying with us from across the world.
Ratings and Reviews
Great-
Nice, comprehensive and complet. I recommend it for its content and didactic quality
Loved this course! For us that are not scientist the lectures were very easy to follow and the instructor makes it accessible and interesting. I definitely want to know more about the subject. I'm so sad that it's over!!!
Really interesting and useful course. The videos are easy to understand and it does not require previous knowledge.
Coursera provides universal access to the world’s best education, partnering with top universities and organizations to offer courses online.
© 2017 Coursera Inc. All rights reserved.
Excellent teacher, very interesting course material, I would definitely recommend this to fellow students who are interested in gaining extra knowledge in the field. Thank you!