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TIMELINE and SYLLABUS [The topics list is intended as a guide and may not be strictly adhered to.]
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| WEEK | TOPIC |
| 1 | Introduction and overview; Definitions of life; Life as we know it |
| 2 | Conditions and timescales for life's origins; Overview of scenarios for the origin of life |
| 3 | Origin of the biologically important chemical elements; stellar evolution and mass ejection |
| 4 |
Galactic chemical evolution; Interstellar matter and environments |
| 5 | Chemical processes in interstellar clouds; Star formation and proto-planetary disks |
| 6 |
Origin and early history of our Solar System |
| 7 | Mid-term exam |
| 8 | Searching for extrasolar planets; Comparing our Solar System with others |
| 9 | Origin and early evolution of the Earth; Cosmic bombardment chronology |
| 10 | Early sources of volatiles and organics; Origin of Earth's atmosphere and oceans |
| 11 | Hypotheses for the origin of life; RNA world; The phylogenic tree and the first organisms |
| 12 | Searching for life elsewhere in our Solar System: Mars, Europa, Titan |
| 13 | Seeking biomarkers on extra-solar planets; The search for extra-terrestrial intelligence |
| 14 | End-of-term exam |
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