ASTR-4510

Origin of Life: A Cosmic Perspective

To understand the origin of life is a fundamental goal of science. We discuss evidence for important prebiotic molecules in the clouds from which new planetary systems are born, and compare cosmic and terrestrial sources of such molecules on the primitive Earth. The course is multidisciplinary, covering topics in physics, astronomy, chemistry, earth sciences, and biology. Prerequisite: ASTR-2050 or permission of instructor. Spring term annually.

4 credit hours