ASTRO 2299 - Search for Life in the Universe

(PBS-AS)

Spring, summer. 3 credits. Letter grades only.

Prerequisite: two courses in any physical science subject or permission of instructors.

Spring, J. Cordes, S. Chatterjee; summer, S, Chatterjee.

This course surveys the possibilities for life in the universe and the search for it, against the backdrop of our modern understanding of the cosmos. It covers ideas about the origin of the universe and how structure arises, the formation of stars and planets, how life might have begun on planets, the evolution of life on the Earth, and the search for life elsewhere in the solar system and beyond.