Astrobiology as a research field - introduction. Stars, planets, exoplanets. Conditions on early Earth. Comets and asteroids – sources of organic compounds. Habitable zone and terrestrial planets (HZ definition, search for life on Mars). Other life-supporting regions in the Solar system. Conditions for emergence of life on early Earth – biogenic elements and their origin in nucleosynthesis, water – mandatory but not sufficient condition for life as we know it, evidence of the first life forms, alternatives to water-carbon based life. Abiogenesis – RNA, LUCA and central dogma of molecular biology. Evolution and domains of life. Impacts and global cataclysms, major extinctions. Influence of the Moon on the stability of the biosphere. Physical and chemical limits of the biosphere - extremophiles. Biosignatures and their observation in space. Emergence of complex and intelligent life. Drake’s equation and it’s relevance for astrobiology. Fermi’s paradox. Extraterrestrial civilizations and impacts of their potential discovery.
Outcome:
The aim of this course is to provide students with up-to-date knowledge of astronomical and biological aspects of the origin of life including conditions required to harbor life on our home planet and elsewhere in the universe.
