Admission requirements
None
Description
Welcome to "Astrobiology," an interdisciplinary course that explores the intriguing possibilities of life beyond Earth and our understanding on the origins, distribution, evolution, and future of life in the universe. Designed for students from diverse academic backgrounds, this course offers a comprehensive overview of Astrobiology, from the molecular to the planetary scale. We start by examining the formation of our Solar System and discuss the processes that shaped Earth and other celestial bodies. Students will explore the early Earth's conditions, the Earth-Moon system and the environmental factors that have contributed to the origin of life. We will investigate key theories and evidence supporting various hypotheses for the emergence of life, including the development of the first protocells. As we broaden our scope beyond Earth, we discuss terrestrial planets with a focus on Mars, assessing its evolution and potential to support life.
Additionally, the course will explore the icy moons of the outer Solar System, including Europa and Enceladus, recognized as prime candidates for hosting subsurface oceans and possibly life. We will also examine the role of small bodies like comets, asteroids, as well as meteorites in delivering essential volatiles and organic compounds to the early planets. Our journey then extends to exoplanets, where students will learn about techniques used to discover and study planets beyond our Solar System and assess their potential habitability. This module is complemented by an overview of significant Astrobiology space missions and their preparation through laboratory and field research. Ambitious new missions to many Solar System targets are currently on route and in preparation. Robotic and crewed missions are pivotal in advancing our understanding of life's potential across the universe. By the end of this course, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the scientific, technological, and philosophical questions central to Astrobiology.
The course will include guest lecturers and cover the following topics:
Origin of our Solar System
Early Earth conditions and the origin of life
First protocells, evolution and synthetic biology
Venus, Astrobiology on the Moon and the search for life on Mars
Outer Solar System and habitable moon
Small bodies: Comets, Asteroids and Meteorites deliver raw materials for life
Exoplanets
Search for extraterrestrial intelligence
Space missions dedicated to Astrobiology questions
Laboratory and Field Research in preparation of life detection space missions
Course objectives
By the end of this course, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the scientific and technological questions central to Astrobiology as well as Astrobiology space missions. Students will be able to:
Discuss the main scientific challenges facing contemporary Astrobiology
Summarize and compare contemporary theories of the origin of life
Explain the distribution of habitable environments in our Solar System and exoplanets.
Discuss selected current and future space exploration missions
Interpret robotic and human exploration missions supporting Astrobiology goals
Define laboratory methods and field research used in the analysis of extinct/extant life
Explain the wider scientific, social, and economic impact(s) of Astrobiology research
Demonstrate methods and technological challenges for life detection
Soft skills
In this course, students will be trained in the following skills:
Critical thinking (asking questions, check assumptions)
Creative thinking (resourcefulness, curiosity, thinking out of the box)
Problem solving (recognizing and analyzing problems, solution-oriented thinking)
Written communication (writing skills, reporting, summarizing)
Presentation skills
Teamwork
Finding and reviewing relevant literature
Timetable
You will find the timetables for all courses and degree programmes of Leiden University in the tool MyTimetable (login). Any teaching activities that you have successfully registered for in MyStudyMap will automatically be displayed in MyTimeTable. Any timetables that you add manually, will be saved and automatically displayed the next time you sign in.
MyTimetable allows you to integrate your timetable with your calendar apps such as Outlook, Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and other calendar apps on your smartphone. Any timetable changes will be automatically synced with your calendar. If you wish, you can also receive an email notification of the change. You can turn notifications on in ‘Settings’ (after login).
For more information, watch the video or go to the 'help-page' in MyTimetable. Please note: Joint Degree students Leiden/Delft have to merge their two different timetables into one. This video explains how to do this.
Mode of instruction
Lectures
Tutorials
Assessment method
Homework assignments: 30%
Written exam: 70%
Reading list
An Astrobiology Strategy for the Search for Life in the Universe (2019)
Cleland, C.C. (2019). The quest for a universal theory of life: Searching for life as we don't know it. Cambridge University Press
Dick, S.J. (2020). Astrobiology, discovery, and societal Impact. Cambridge University Press
Rothery, D.A., Gilmour, I., & Sephton, M.A. (Eds.). (2011) An Introduction to astrobiology (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press
SKY & TELESCOPE The essential guide to astronomy
Registration
As a student, you are responsible for registering on time, i.e. 14 days before the start of the course. This can be done via Mystudymap. You do this twice a year: once for the courses you want to take in semester 1 and once for the courses you want to take in semester 2. Please note: late registration is not possible.
Registration for courses in the first semester is possible from July; registration for courses in the second semester is possible from December. First-year bachelor students are registered for semester 1 by the faculty student administration; they do not have to do this themselves. For more information, see this page
In addition, it is mandatory for all students, including first-year bachelor students, to register for exams. This can be done up to and including 10 calendar days prior to the exam or up to five calendar days in case of a retake exam. You cannot participate in the exam or retake without a valid registration in My Studymap.
Contact information
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Pascale Ehrenfreund