science of the physical universe 30: life as a planetary phenomenon
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Science of the Physical Universe 30: Life as a Planetary Phenomenon
Formerly … Science Core A-54:
Life as a Planetary Phenomenon
Instructor: Dimitar Sasselov
Instructor: Dimitar Sasselov Teaching Fellows: Wade Henning (Head TF), Darin Ragozzine,
Li Zeng, Jessica Haurin, Sarah Rugheimer, Maggie McLean
& others
Science of the Physical Universe 30: Life as a Planetary Phenomenon
Lecture 1: Life as a Planetary Phenomenon (Introduction)
1. Course structure2. Grading3. Organizational matters
4. Introduction to the course
Course Structure: 5 themes
1. The Origin and Evolution of Planets 2. The Origin and Evolution of Life 3. Exploring the Solar System for Life
4. Searching for Life beyond the Solar System
5. Extraterrestrial Intelligence
January 25, 2008Researchers Take Step Toward Synthetic Life
By ANDREW POLLACKTaking a significant step toward the creation of synthetic forms of life, researchers reported Thursday that they had manufactured the entire genome of a bacterium by stitching together its chemical components.
May 2010
J.C.VenterInstitute:
JCVI-syn1.0
Water flows on Mars since 2001 ?!
Lakes and channels on Titan!
New Lines of Inquiry
• Twenty years ago: Life is distinct from physical planet Earth• Now: Life is an integral part of the Earth
• Major discoveries– Diversity of microbial life on Earth– Role of life in determining atmosphere composition
and history– Role of life in regulating climate– Planetary missions, especially Mars– Extrasolar Planets
• Geobiology: the study of how organisms and environments influence each other through time.
• Astrobiology = Geobiology + Exploration
• Our inquiry follows the paths of exploration: – direct (our solar system)– remote sensing (nearby solar systems)
– SETI (the rest of the universe)
Life is a planetary phenomenon
Mars from Earth, ca. 1900
Mars from Martian Orbit: Mariner 4 1965
Closer Orbit: Viking 1977
Hi-Rise camera looks at Mars, October 2006
The Martian Surface: MER 2004
Comparison to Earth
MER 2004: The highest resolution
Kepler: the camera - CCDs in the focal plane
Camera: 42 CCDs
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The discovery of Kepler’s first rocky planet(announced Jan. 9, 2011)
What Kepler-10b might look like - an artist’s view
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A map of an extrasolar planet
Knutson, Charbonneau et al. (2007)
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