HONR 218D, Life, the Universe, and Everything

Spring 2014

Policies and course outline

Class debate topics and schedule

HTML reading list with links

Class list of criteria to accept statements beyond our experience

My lecture notes:

• Lecture 1: Introduction to life in the universe
• Lecture 2: The very early universe, origin of heavy elements, and planets
• Lecture 3: Evolution 1: early ideas and misconceptions
• Lecture 4: Evolution 2: fossil and microbiology evidence
• Lecture 5: Origin of life
• Lecture 6: Extremophiles and mass extinctions
• No Lecture 7: Midterm
• Lecture 8: Requirements for life
• Lecture 9: Mars
• Lecture 10: Other places in Solar System, extrasolar planets
• Lecture 11: Future of life on Earth
• Lecture 12: Drake equation, development of intelligence, and alien visitations
• Lecture 13: Interstellar travel and the Fermi paradox
• Lecture 14: Relativity and time travel; terraforming other planets

Supplementary notes:

• Supplement 1: the age of the universe
• Supplement 2: the origin of elements
• Supplement 3: stellar properties and evolution
• Supplement 4: taxonomic classes
• Supplement 5: other places in Solar System for life
• Supplement 6: definitions of factors in the Drake equation
• Supplement 7: searching for other civilizations
• Supplement 8: rocket science
• Supplement 9: colonization of the milky way
• Supplement 10: special relativity

Send me to:

Cole's home page

astro home page