Entry requirements

General entry requirements

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course the student shall be able to:

• Describe how theoretical "biosignatures" from extraterrestrial life would appear and outline the limitations we face in detecting and confirming biological activity on other planets today.
• Describe prerequisites for biological life and what the necessary environmental preconditions are.  
• Explain how chemistry originates in the universe and how chemical substances existing in space eventually find their way into planetary atmospheres or surfaces.
• Describe how planets outside our solar system (exoplanets) are formed, detected, and studied by researchers today, using both telescope data and computer simulations.
• Elaborate on how planetary climates change over extended time scales and the impact this has on the potential for life to emerge and thrive.

Content

Conditions necessary for life to emerge on planets. The identification of signs of life (biosignatures) on other planets. The formation of chemical substances in space (astrochemistry). The origin of planetary systems. The discovery and study of exoplanets. Exoplanetary atmospheres and the parameters influencing their climate. The development of planetary atmospheres over longer timescales. Biosignatures and how those may be detected on other planets.

Instruction

Lectures with discussions.

Assessment

Written hand-ins during the course.