| course |
dates |
credits |
| Astrobiology |
|
1 |
| teachers |
schedule |
term |
|
|
|
3 |
Program:
Lecture 1 – Introduction to astrobiology. The problem of life definition. Physics and
life: thermodynamical properties. Chemical elements of terrestrial life. Unique
properties and importance of carbon and water. The biomolecules of terrestrial life;
homochirality; information coding and genetic code. Common aspects of terrestrial
life at the molecular level; role of hydrogen bonding in molecular interactions.
Lecture 2 - Extremophilic organisms and their importance in astrobiology. Physical
and chemical limits of terrestrial life; impact of temperature on life molecular
processes. Definition of planetary habitability. Impact of astronomical and
geophysical factors on planetary habitability. Climate and habitability; climate
instabilities; negative feedbacks. The circumstellar habitable zone; impact of
astronomical and planetary factors on the location and extent of the habitable
zone.
Lecture 3 - From prebiotic chemistry to the origin and evolution of life. Prebiotic
chemistry in space and in protoplanetary disks. Delivery of organic material and
water on planetary bodies. The origin of life in the primitive Earth; ambient
conditions; time scales for the emergence of terrestrial life. Experimental and
theoretical studies of prebiotic chemistry. Philogenetic trees and the last common
ancestor. Main stages of the evolution of terrestrial life. Evolution as a universal
mechanism: chance and necessity.
Lecture 4 – Astrobiology in the Solar System. The case of Venus: evidence for a
runaway greenhouse instability. The case of Mars: evidence for water at the
present time and in the past; search for biosignatures. The case of Europa and
Enceladus; analogies with terrestrial hydrothermal vents. The case of Titan; a
laboratory for hypothetical biochemistries based on methane. Planetary protection
in Solar System missions.
Lecture 5 - Extrasolar planets in the context of astrobiology. Observational
techniques and statistical results of exoplanet surveys. Characterization of
extrasolar planets; spectra of exoplanet atmospheres. Search for exoplanets in the
habitable zone: challenges and perspectives. Properties of planets in the habitable
zone of M-type stars. Search for atmospheric biosignatures in exoplanet
atmospheres. The Galactic habitable zone.
Prerequisites:
Books:
Online Resources:
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