The University of Southampton

UOSM2029 Life in the Cosmos

Module Overview

Are we really alone in the Universe?

A question that has been asked across the centuries and is always evolving. To investigate this exciting possibility, you will first look at your own world and how life evolved; drawing on areas of biology, chemistry, geology and palaeontology. Once you have understood what is required to support life,  we can begin looking at other planets, such as Mars, to search for evidence of places that could or have sustained life.

The aim of this course is to convey the detailed conceptual ideas associated with the important and topical question of the formation of life in the universe. The course will discuss all the environmental circumstances that seem to encourage the start of any life form and investigate the current state of our knowledge of life outside of the earth.

The course is designed for students who do not have an A-level in physics or maths.

Aims & Objectives

Aims

Syllabus

  • Search for extraterrestrial life from a human perspective
  • Evolution of stars and planetary systems
  • Formation of our solar system
  • Comets & asteroids and their relevance to life on Earth
  • Evolution of life on Earth
  • Extremophiles: life forms in extreme environments
  • Panspermia, i.e. the spreading of life through space
  • Molecules in space: the observations of complex hydrocarbons and other sophisticated molecules
  • Circumstellar habitable zone: will life only be found in the traditional "comfort zones" of solar systems?
  • Hazards to life from the Galaxy
  • Progress over the last century in our knowledge and expectations about potential life on Mars, and on the Jovian moons: Titan & Europa
  • Exoplanets, detection techniques and results
  • SETI: searching for signals from extra-terrestrials and the Drake equation

Learning & Teaching

Learning & teaching methods

ActivityDescriptionHours
LectureIn total there are 21 lectures, 3 video presentations and 6 sessions of student presentations.30

Assessment

Assessment methods

There is not final exam during the exam week. The multi-choice test will be held during the last lecture slot and will last for 1 hour.

MethodHoursPercentage contribution
Presentation-20%%
Essay-30%%
Multi-choice test (1 hour)-50%%

Referral Method: By examination

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