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Astronomy309L(46880)—Spring2016TheSearchforExtraterrestrialLifeandIntelligence

CourseSyllabusClassroomandtime:WelchHall3.502(enterfromoutsidethebuilding),TTh11-12:15Professor: JohnScalo Office:R.L.Moore(RLM)15.318(R.L.MooreisatthecornerofDeanKeatonandSpeedway) Phone:478-2748(home:bestplacetocallme);officenumberis471-6446. Email:scalo@astro.as.utexas.edu

Officehours:M2:30-3:15,F3:00-4:00(maybeshiftedwhenexamisnear).Alternativestoofficehours:1.Wecantalkoutsidetheclassroom(inthefoyer)afterclass—Iwillalmostalwaysbefreeafterourclass.2.Ineffect,Ihavedailyphoneofficehours.Usemyhomephonenumber.Studentsarealwaysreluctanttodothis,butIdon’tknowwhy.It’ssomucheasierthanwalkingtomyoffice,andyoucancallbackifyouthinkofsomethinglater.Iwelcomephonecallsathome–itisanefficientwayforustocommunicatewhileaparticularquestionisonyourmind.Italsoprovidesatoolforbothofustoassessyourprogressintermsofexplanatoryunderstanding(whichisaprimaryobjectiveinmyclasses).Callinganytimebefore9pmisfine;callbackifIdon’tanswer,don’tleaveamessage;weekendsareevenbetterbecauseI'mhomealargerfractionoftheday.Sendingmeemailisok,butIusuallycannotgiveadequateanswerstosubjectmatterquestionsbyemail.TeachingAssistant:TheTAisknowledgeable,helpful,andfriendly,soseekhisguidancewhenyouneedit. NameOffice Officehours email Phone

NicholasMillerRLM13.126M2:30-4+TBAnmiller@astro.as.utexas.edu471-1309Materials:Theitemsyouneedtopurchaseorobtainare: ➙Textbook(immediatelyifyoucanandifyouhaven’talready) ➙Some#2pencils(foreachexam—wesupplythescantrons) ➙TheCanvasappforyourphoneand/orlaptop(atiTunesorelsewhere),whichwewillusefor attendance.Ifyouhaveaflipphone,noproblem,justsignasheetafterclass. Iassumeyouhaveconvenientaccesstotheinternet,andthatyoucheckyouremailregularly.Coursewebsite:AllmaterialswillbeavailableviaCanvasorsenttoyoubyemail,includingnotes,outsidereadings,examreviewsheets,etc. àPleasedownloadandread“FirstDayHandoutforUndergraduates”fromthefilessectionofourCanvaspage,whereyoucanalwaysfindacurrentversionofthissyllabus.Also,you’llfindtheannouncementsforstudentobservingopportunitiesand“starparties”thereinafewdays.Requiredtextbook:LifeintheUniverse,3rdedition,byJ.O.BennettandS.Shostak(2011)withaccesstotheStudentCompanionWebsite:http://wps.aw.com/aw_bennett_liu_3/174/44767/11460576.cw/index.html.Thebookcomeswithanaccesscode(insidefrontcover)youneedinordertoregisteratthestudentcompanionwebsite,givingyouaccesstothetextbookinebookform,quizquestionsforeachchapter,self-guidedtutorials,interactivefiguresandphotos,linkstoastrobiology-relatedwebsites,amathreview,andmore.--Donotbuyanythingbutthe3rdadditionwithaccesscode.Inparticular,anew(4th)editionjustcameout,butitismoreexpensiveandnotthatmuchimproved,andwillmakesthingstooconfusingforyou.--Thecoopshouldhavethetextbookinstock“anydaynow.”Thecostissomethinglike$140.Atamazon.comthebooksellsnewforabout$130.Rentalsstartat$31.Unfortunately,therentalisnotanewbook,andwillnothavetheaccesscodeforthetextbookwebsite.Youcanlivewithoutit,butthereareafewthings,likesomeoftheassignedreviewquestions,thatyouwon’thave,orwillhavetocopyoffofsomeoneelse’saccess.Youcouldpurchaseanaccesscodeseparately,onlinefromthepublisherwebsite—Ithinkit’sabout$40-50,whichmakesthetotalnearlyashighasanewbook,asfarasIcantell.Thekindleversionisnotmushlessincost.--Purchasingthistextbookused,onlineorotherwise,willbetrickyandisnotrecommended.Ifyoudo,besureyouarepurchasinga3rdedition.Thesecondeditionwillbecheapbutuseless.Also,ausedbookwillnothavea

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validaccesscodetothestudentcompanionsite;asremarkedaboveandexplainedmoreinclass,thisaccesscodeisuseful,butinajamyoucangetbywithoutit.--Thesepublishersarevigilant,andhaveapparentlycutoff(nearly)allotherpathstofreeorinexpensivenewbooks,asfarasIcantell. àInanycase,purchaseitnow.Youshouldhaveitin-handbyThursday,Jan.21,ifnotsooner,oryouwillalreadybebehindinthereadings.Ifyouhavesometemporarydifficulty,suchasinsufficientfunds,pleasecallmeatthenumberabove.Otherrequiredreading:Severalsourcesofoutsidereadings,includingmynotes,willbeprovidedforyoutodownloadatCanvas(aspdfs),orwillbesectionsfrombooksthatareavailableatUT’sEBLelectroniclibrary.Moredetailedguidestothereadingassignmentsforeachofthefivepartsofthecoursewillbehandedoutseparately. Lectures,homework,exams:Overallorganizationofthecourse

n Therhythmoftheclassissimple:4or5in-classlectureperiods,thenanexam.Withsomuchweightgiventoexams,andsomuchtimebetweenThandthefollowingTclasses,amajorfactorinyoursuccesswillbeattendance,anddiligentreadingandreviewbetweenclasses.Grading:Shortversion.85%ofyourgradeisbasedon5exams(17%each),5%onattendance,and10%onhomework,mostofwhichwillbesubmittedthroughCanvas.Thehomeworkmayalsoincludeshortwrittenassignmentsbasedonreadings,dependingonthesizeoftheclass.Datesofexamsarebelow.Finallettergrades:Finalgradesinourclasswillbeassignedonthefollowingbasis.A=87.0to100 B=77.0to86.9 C=67.0to76.9 D=57.0to66.9F<57.0➨Finalpercentageswillnotbe“roundedup.” 86.87isaB,notanA.➨Plus/minusgradeswillnotbeassignedinthisclass. n Therearefiveexams,counting85%ofyourfinalgrade.--Allexamsareweightedequallyexceptthatyourlowestexamscorewillonlyreceiveaweightof1/2comparedtotheothers.Soyouhavetotakealltheexams,butifyouhaveanoffday(orweek),itwon’thurtyourfinalgradetoomuch.--TheexamdatesareallTuesdaysexceptforthelastexam. Ex1:TFeb10Ex2:TMar3Ex3:TMar31Ex4:TApril21Ex5:ThMay7Thesedatesarefirm,unlesswedetectanerrorwithinthenextfewdays.Examscoresshouldbereadybythemorningfollowingtheexam,orevenlatetheafternooniftheexam.Ifyouhavealegitimateproblemwithanexamdate(butnotthingslikeotherexamsonthesamedate),therewillbeanopportunitytotaketheexamadayortwoearly,or,ifaseriousemergencyorhealthproblem,adaylate.AllearlyandlateexamswillbehandledbytheTA(NicholasMiller)andyouareresponsibleforarranginganysuchexamswithhim.--Giventhelikelysizeoftheclass,alltheexamswillbemultiple-choicequestions,usuallyabout30-35questions.--Incaseofmedicalorothernon-academicemergenciesorsituations,contactmeasearlyaspossible—itwillusuallybepossibleforyoutotakeanexamadayorsoearlyorlateinthesecases(butnotforacademicreasons).--WewilltrytogetexamgradesavailabletoyouthroughCanvaswithinone,oratmosttwodaysofthetimeoftheexam.--Therewillbenocomprehensivefinal(theamountandvarietyoftopicsisimmense). n Tenpercentofyourgradeisbasedonhomeworkassignments.Mostofthehomeworkwillconsistof“takehomequizzes”thatyouwillanswerthroughCanvas,afterhavingsometimetothinkabouttheanswers.OtherhomeworkmayincludewrittenanswerstoyourchoicesfromasetofquestionsIsendyou.Theseareexpectedtobeabout1-2conciseparagraphslong,andaregradedonhowwelltheydemonstrateyourunderstandingoftheanswerbyansweringclearlyandinyourownwords.Flufforcopiedphraseswillbegivenalowscore,probablyzero. Theaccumulationofthesehomeworkassignmentscountfor10percentofyourgrade.Therewillberoughlyoneortwoforeachexam,andrememberthattheyareintendedasanaidinstudying.Theyareintendedtorequirelittletimeifyouarecaughtupwiththereadingandlectures. Inaddition,somehomeworkquestionsdonotrequirethatyouturninanything.Instead,theyare“due”onthedaysofexams,whenthemultiplechoiceequivalentofthehomeworkquestionswillappearontheexam;someofthesewillbetakenfromthereviewquestionsattheendofeachchapter.AllinformationaboutthehomeworkquestionswillbetransmittedtoyouviaCanvas.

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n Fivepercentofyourgradeisbasedonattendance.You’llusetheCanvasapptoenterapasswordastheanswertoaquizthatwehaveduringeachclass.GettheCanvasapplication.Attendancealsoaffectsyourgradeindirectly:Theexamsareweightedheavilytowardthelecturematerial,aswellasthetextbookreadings.StudiesI’vedoneinthepastindicateanaveragedifferenceofnearlyafulllettergradebetweenstudentswhoattendregularlyandthosethatdon’t. InsemestersforwhichIcountedattendance,itwasrareforastudentwhodidn’thaveatleastabout80---90%attendancetoreceiveagradeof“A.” Justunderthecutoff?Ifattheendofthesemesteryouarejustunderthecutoffforagrade(by,say,one,ortwo,or0.3,percentagepoints),whetheryouarejustunderaD,say,oranA,donotcallorwriteaskingmetolowerthecutoff--thisisunfairtoallconcerned.Cutoffswillnotbeloweredtoaccommodateyourindividualscore.Scoresattheendofthesemesterarenotroundedup,so,forexample,a76.7willgetyouaC.Instead,youshouldtrustinmyflexibilitywhenitcomestimeforfinalgrades,assomeofyouwhowereinmyclasslastsemestermayknow.ExtraCredit:Extracreditassignmentswillbeoffered,buttheywillnotbetrivial.Theirnaturedependsonthefinalsizeofourclass,soI’llgiveyouanupdatelaterinthesemester.Inanycase,youshouldnotassumetherewillbesomefast-and-easypaperyoucanthrowtogetherattheendinordertoimproveyourgrade.Planinadvanceifyoudecideyoumayneedtheextracreditassignment,sinceIwillmakeitduewellbeforethelastexam.IwillalsotrytomakethechoiceoftopicssuchthattheyareStudentfeedback:Ithinkthereisnotmuchpurpose,andcertainlynobenefittoyou,whenIreceiveyourcommentsontheCourse-EvaluationSurveyaftertheclasshasended.Instead,Ihopewecanboth“self-correct”ifthereareparticularproblems.Itcouldbesomethingassimplebutimportantas“Couldyouwritealittlelargerontheboard?”or“Wouldyoutrytostopspeakingwhenfacingtheboard?”etc.Oryoumayhavemoreseriousand/orin-depthcomments.Andofcoursepositivecommentsarealsoveryuseful,andnotjustbecausetheygivemeawarmfeelingofencouragement.Forthesmallthings,youcanjusttellmeafterclass,orbyemail,butmoststudentsfeelmorecomfortablewithcompleteanonymity. Forthatpurpose,wehaveananonymouscommentwebsitewhereyoucansayanythingyouwant,alwaystryingtobeconstructive,ofcourse,atanttime.AlinktothisSurveyMonkey.comsite(assumingitisstillworking)isonthehomepageforourcourseinCanvas.I’llplaceithereinthesyllabuswhileI’matit:https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J87V3P6(Linkstoanexternalsite.)Iperiodicallyreadthesecarefully,andcanaddresssomeremarksinclass,oratleasttrytousethisfeedbackasanin-semestertoolforimprovementoftheclass.Specialrequests:StudentswithdisabilitiesorotherspecialneedsmayrequestappropriateaccommodationsfortheexamsormoregeneralaccommodationsfromtheDivisionofDiversityandCommunityEngagement,ServicesforStudentswithDisabilities,512-471-6259,http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/ Droppingthecourse:SeeGeneralInformation,Registrar’swebsite,fordetailsofrequiredapprovals.Brieflistofdatesareattheonlineacademiccalendar.TheCollegeofNaturalSciencesadheresstrictlytothepublisheddeadlines.Noticethe12thclassday(lastdaytodropaclasswithpossiblerefund),thedeadlinefordroppingacoursewithoutacademicpenalty,andthelastdaytodropacourse,exceptforurgentnonacademicreasons,withDean’sapproval.Incompletes:Anincomplete(X)willonlybeconsideredforstudentswhocannotcompletetherequiredcourseworkforreasonsotherthanlackofdiligence(illnessorotherimperativenonacademicreasons),butonlyifthestudenthasapassinggradeontheworkcompleted.Cheating:AcademicdishonestywillresultinfailureofthecourseandareporttotheDeanofStudents,whowilldecideonfurtheraction.Ifourenrollmentissmallenough,studentswillberequiredtositoneseatapartduringexams.Becauseoftheincreasingfrequencyofclearinfractions,pleaseprotectyourwork,evenyour“homework.”Studentobservingopportunities:Call471-5007orseehttp://outreach.as.utexas.edu/public/viewing.htmlforMondayupdates;I’llplaceinfoatCanvaswhenIhaveitincaseyou’reinterested.YoucanfindPDFversionshere:http://outreach.as.utexas.edu/pdf/rlm.pdfandhttp://outreach.as.utexas.edu/pdf/painter.pdfThewebsiteforpublicviewingishere:http://outreach.as.utexas.edu/public/viewing.htmlWhatisthiscoursereallyabout?Alittlemoredetail,andawarning. Thiscourseisconcernedwiththepossibilitiesandimplicationsofextraterrestriallifeandintelligence,andafewmoresubtlethemesthatwillbecomeapparent.Thestandardmajortopicsinclude--whetherhabitableplanetsaroundotherstarsarecommonplace

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--howlikelyorunlikelylifeiselsewhere(basedontheoriesandevidenceabouttheoriginoflifeonEarth);--howwemightdetectsuchliferemotely;--thepossibilitiesoflifewithinourownsolarsystem;--whetherweshouldexpectthatcomplexorganisms,especiallycreaturespossessing"intelligence,"language,technology,etc.arecommon;--strategiesforcommunicationwithextraterrestrials;--thepossibilitiesforinterstellartravel,and(iftimepermits)thequestionofwhetherwehavebeenvisitedbyextraterrestrials. Thatprobablysoundsprettydry,sothissemesterwe’llbeginwithsomethingcalled“TheFermiParadox,”whichisallaboutstartravelandcolonizationofourgalaxy,andwhyandwhetherwearealoneinourgalaxy.First,you’llbecomeexpertson“TheDrakeEquation,”whichisreallyasimplemnemonicdeviceforseeingthebigpicture,andcanbealotoffunifyouletit.WARNING:Pleasenotefromtheoutsetthatthecourseishighlyinterdisciplinarybynature,andthatonlyafractionofthematerial(maybea1/4to1/3)isdirectlyastronomical.Ihaveworkedinthisareaaspartofmyresearchforabout15years,andstudiedandtaughtitnearlyeveryyearforabout30years.Myproblemforthiscourse,then,istheurgetoandhabitofoverstuffingthecoursewithmoreandmorematerial,andespeciallyupdates(yourbookisseveralyearsold),thinkingthatstudentswillbeabletodiscriminatebetweensomethingthatisjustinterestingtoknowandsomethingthatwillbeonanexam,butmoreoftenthannotitjustleadstoconfusion.Forthatreason,I’mattemptingtowhittlethematerialdowntoacleaner,lesscomprehensive,learningexperience.

Youwillberequiredtobecomefamiliarwithalotofelementarybutdiversematerialfromastronomy,planetaryscience,chemistry,andmolecularbiology.Thismaterialrequiresnobackground,norgivesanyadvantagetothosewhodohavesomebackground—itisreallyatanelementarylevel.Mygoalistoshowyouhowsimpleitis.Ifyouarenotwillingtostudyinterdisciplinarymaterial,pleasedropthecoursenow,butdon’tcomplainintheendthatthiswasn’tastraightastronomyclass!Isuggestyouimmediatelylookthroughyourtextbooktogetafeelforthenatureofthetopicswewillbecovering.

Thematerialwillbealmostentirelynon-mathematical,nothingbeyondsimplearithmetic,concentratingonanumberofkeyideasthatcanbeunderstoodwithoutmath.However,theydorequireasolidconceptualgraspofthesubjects,andadegreeofcomfortusinggraphsasanimportantquantitativetool.Ifyouareatalluncomfortablewithelementarymathematics,orevenifyou'renot,youshouldconsiderthefollowingyourfirstassignment:

Aslistedas“requiredreading”inthelistoftopicsandlectures(nextpage),lookthroughthe"MathReview"atthetextbookwebsite;themostimportantare"PowersofTen,"and"ScientificNotation.”Withoutsomecomfortwiththese,itwillbedifficulttounderstandwhatisgoingon.Mostofthenumberswillcomeearly,inthefirstcoupleofweeks.

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AST309L:SCHEDULEOFTOPICS,READINGS,ANDEXAMDATES

Iwilllisttopicsaccordingtotheorganizationofthetextbook(e.g.5.2meanssection5.2inBennettandShostak’sbook).Asectioninparentheses(e.g.(3.1))means“Skim,butnotcoveredonexam.”Datescorrespondingtolectureswillbefilledinalittlelater.Itisimportantthatyoukeepthisoutlinehandy.Thecourseisdividedintofivesections,withanexamaftereachsection.Thereareabout5lecturesbetweeneachexam,exceptforExam5,forwhichwewillonlyhavetimeforabout4lectures.] The“zeroeth”partofthecourseiswhateverbackgroundyouneedtoreviewinordertodealwiththerestofthecourse.Youhavetobesomewhatindependentandresponsibleindoingthis(mostlyboring)backgroundstudy.PartZero.Backgroundreading.Thesewillnotbediscussedexceptbrieflyinclass,butitisextremelyimportantthatyoureadthematthelevelappropriatetoyourownbackground.Youwon’tunderstandanimportantearlypartofthecoursewithoutit.Thisiswhyitissoimportanttoobtainatextbookassoonaspossible.

[YoucanskipCh.2ifyouhavehadanastronomyclassrecently,althoughyoumightbeinterestedinthehistoryofthesubject(2.1).Noneofthatmaterialwilldirectlyappearontheexam.]Ch.3. (3.1),3.2(sizes,distances,elementsfromstars,time); 3.3(objectsinoursolarsystem,EZintroductiontodiskandplanetformationtheories;

3.4(reviewofbackgroundphysics—light,phasechanges.Weneedallthisbackgroundinordernottoallowourinvestigationofthesubjecttodegenerateintopurespeculations.Wewillonlycoveritbrieflyinlecture,somakesuretoreaditsoon.

■ Requiredreadingforthenexttwotopics:EssentialmathreviewinAppendixCofyourtextbook.especially:C1.PowersofTen;C2.ScientificNotation;don’tworrymuchaboutC.3(Units),butdoreadC.4(FindingaRatio—it’sonlyapagelong).Evenifyouthinkyouarealreadycomfortablewithmathatthislevel,Iurgeeveryonetoreaditandgetaccustomedtothewaynumbersarepresentedinyourtextbook(andbyme).………………………PartIofcourse:Overview(ch.1),TheDrakeequation(12.1);HabitablePlanets(Ch10,9,11.1).Ch.1.Sections1.1-1.4.Overviewbytopic—Basically“Whatisastrobiology?”Brief(11pages)butimportant.ReadingChapter1willhelpyouunderstandwhatthiscourseisabout,andwillallowyoutoeasilyunderstandTheDrakeEquation.Section12.1Overviewintermsofthe“Drakeequation”(12.1)Thereismath,butmostlytrytogetthemainideas.Wewillspendabouttwoentirelecturesonthesetopics. ■ TherewillbesomeextranotesprovidedonlineconcerningtheDrakeequation.Ch.10 Habitability—focusonplanetswithliquidwater.

■ Readpp.241-243insec.7.1on“Doeslifeneedliquidwater?”It’scrucial!Then:10.1Habitablezone10.2Venusasexampleofhabitabilitythwartedbytemperatureandlackofliquidwater.10.3Surfacehabitability.We’llconsidertheatmosphericgasesthatareimportant,radiationfromtheyoungSun,etc.10.4FutureoflifeonEarth.It’snotaprettyend,butyouhaveafewbillionyearsbeforeitoccurs.

Skipsection10.5. Ch.9Anunconventionalhabitablezone:Moonsofgiantplanets(emphasisonTitanandEuropa)[Wewon’thavetimetocoverallofthematerialonlifeinthesolarsystem(Chapters7-9),exceptinanutshellfashion.HoweverweWILLcovermostofChapter9,thesectionsonthemoonsofgiantplanets.]Ch.11 11.1Whattypesofstarsshouldwesearchforsignsoflifeorintelligence?Phasesofstellarevolution,properties,spectraltypes,stellarmassesandlifetimes.Whichstarswouldmakesuitablestarsforplanetswithlife? Partoftheabovematerial(11.1)mayhavetobepostponedtothesecondexam.I’llletyouknowwellinadvance.

............Ourfirstexamwilloccurhere(Tuesday,Feb10)..................

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II.“ExtrasolarPlanets”+1partof“Originoflifebychemicalevolution”Ch.11(cont’d)[Wealreadycovered11.1onexam1,whichwasintendedtosummarizethecourseandunderstandthemainproblem.Herewearediscussingthefirstofthe“Drakeequationfactors,”thelikelihoodthatthereareotherplanetsaroundotherstars,andthatsomeofthemareconducivetolife,conservativelysomethinglikelifeonEarth.] 11.2Extrasolarplanets:detectionmethods,radialvelocityandtransitresults.(Lotsofmaterial)11.2onextrasolarplanetswilltakeabout2.5lectures. 11.2pp.381-382:Howcouldwedetectlifeonextrasolarplanets?(Spectralbiomarkers) 11.3ThepossibilitythatEarthisrare(“RareEarth?”Firstexamplesof“contingency.”]Onelectureon11.2and11.3

Skip11.4(classifyingstars).Ch.5.Thenatureoflifeonearth—We’llcoverthisonlyuptothemolecular/cellularlevel,mostimportantfororiginmodels.Trytoremember,atthispointwearenotinterestedinwhetherthereareanimalsorothercomplexcreatures,onlyhowlifeoperatesatthemicroscopic,molecularlevel.

Emphasizedinlectures(withoutsidenotesprovided):Elementarybackgroundonmolecularbonds,chemicalreactionsandcellbiology.Whycarbon?Whywater?Whypolymers?Molecularbasisoflife—prebioticorganicmolecules;aminoacids,nucleotides,proteins,nucleicacids.Textbookisskimpyhere—I’llsupplyoutsidematerial.

Lectureswillalsocoverpartsofthefollowingsections,whichyoushouldreadindetail.5.1Defininglife;possibleoutsidearticles.5.2Cells.5.3Metabolism.5.4DNAandheredity—Thisplayssuchanimportantroleinthesubjectthatwe’llspendmostofourtimediscussingthismolecule,andespeciallyitscousin(ancestor?),RNA,ifwehavetime.MorelikelypostponedtosectionIII.………Secondexamhere(Tuesday,March2)………………………

III.OriginandearliestdevelopmentoflifeonEarth(only5lectures,butislessmaterialthaninpreviousparts).:I’llperiodicallyfillinmoreaccuratelytherestofthisoutline,e.g.topicsoflecturesoneachclassdate,asweapproacheachsection.Ch.5(cont’d)+Ch.6:Lectureswillbesomewhatindependentofthetextbookreading.

5.4DNAandheredity—ifwedidn’tcoveronExam2.Youcan’tunderstandoneofthemostimportanttopicsinthecourse,“RNAworld,”withoutreadingthiscarefully.Youalsowillnotunderstandhowrelativeageslineageoforganismsareobtainedfrombioinformaticstrees.5.5Lifeattheextremes),PLUSàReadpp.241-243insec.7.1on“Doeslifeneedliquidwater?”(again)Thistimetherewillbeextensivein-classcoveragebeyondwhatisinthetextbook.Skipsec.5.6.

Ch.6.Wewillonlycoverthe“Origin”partofthischapterhere,whichmeanssubsections6.1Searchingforlife’sorigins.6.2Originoflife—willspendmostofourtimehere,especiallyon“RNAworld”.ThisrequiresthatyouunderstandlecturematerialmentionedaboveinconnectionwithCh.5)

...........Thirdexamhere(Tuesday,March31)..........................IV.DevelopmentofComplexLife;RelationtoHistoryofEarth’sEnvironment(9lectures).Herewewilltrytoseetheoveralldevelopmentfrombacteria,toanimals,tothekindofcognitionthathumans(andsomeotheranimals)appeartopossess.Ch.4.HabitabilityoftheEarth--Chapter4isabouttheearliestdevelopmentoflifeonEarthanditsrelationtogeological/climaticconditions.The“Hadean”eraofEarth’sevolution. 4.1Geologyandlife. 4.2Radiometricages.

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4.3HadeanEarthandthedawnoflife.[4.4.Geologyandhabitability,notonexam] 4.5Climateregulationandchange. Skipsec.4.6(originofourmoon).Then:BacktoCh.6.SectionsonevolutionoflifeonEarth—thisisaboutlaterdevelopmentoflife,especially “complexlife.”Concentrationonthetimingandimportanceofafewmajorevents. 6.3DevelopmentoflifeonEarth.Empiricaltimeline,interpretations,implicationsforextraterrestrialcomplexlife.Anemphasiswillbeonwhatwecanlearnfrom“evolutionarytrees,”andonshowingyouthattheyaresimpleenoughthatyoucanconstructoneyourself.Classlectures:Majordevelopmentsinhistoryoflife,frommolecularleveltooxygenationofatmosphere;Oneentirelectureonthe“Cambrianexplosion,”whichisarguablythefirstappearanceof“animals.” 6.4Impactsandmassextinctions—biologicaldevelopmentdrivenbycatastrophicevents,severeenvironmentalchanges(e.g.snowballEarthepisodes,oxygenholocaust,majorimpacts,episodesofintensevolcanism…) [Uncertainifwe’llreach6.5byexam4] 6.5Appearanceofhuman-likecognition--discussionofproblematicstatusofhumanuniqueness;development ofcognitivefunctioninorganismsincludinghumans;natureof“intelligence(s)”willbeprobablybepostponedto examV.…………Fourthexamhere(Tuesday,April21)……………………….V.Modesofcontact(4-5lectures)Ch.12Thesearchforextraterrestrialintelligence(SETI)—listeningstrategies

12.1Drakeequationreview.Emphasisonlifetimeofatechnologicalcivilization.12.2Intelligence—Thismaybesupplementedwithoutsidereadingsfromcognitivescience,cross-culturalandanimalstudies,artificialintelligenceresearch.Topicisimportantindesigningstrategiesforsignaldetection.12.3Searchingforintelligence.SETIexperiments(proposedencodingandsignalingtechniques,“magicfrequencies,”ongoingSETIprograms)Iftime:Thenatureoflanguageanditspossiblealternatives.[12.4UFOs,artifacts,abductionphenomena,,...(Conventionalscientistperspective;12.4notontheexam.)]

Ch.13InterstellarTravelandtheFermiParadox13.1,13.2.Limitingfactorsandproposeddesignsforstarflight.13.3.TheFermiparadox:Galacticcolonizationandthe"Wherearethey?"conundrum.[Skip13.4(theoryofrelativity)exceptforyourowninterest.]

............Fifth(last)examhere,onlastclassday(Thursday,May7)…………Thereisnocomprehensivefinal.Youshouldbeabletocomputeyourfinalaveragescore(wewillgiveyoua

formulatohelp),andthereforeknowyourlettergradeinthecourse,afterreceivingtheresultsofthe5thexam.