Overview

This Unit will provide an overview of the multi-disciplinary nature of astrobiology - combining geology, chemistry, biology and astronomy. It will investigate the origins and evolution of life on Earth, the interaction between life and its environment, and the search for life elsewhere in the Solar System and beyond.

Requisites

Prerequisites
AST10001 Discovering the Universe
BIO10001 Concepts of Biology

AND EITHER
CHE10001 Chemistry 1
OR
CHE10004 Introduction to Chemistry

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Study Period 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
03-March-2025
01-June-2025
Last self-enrolment date
16-March-2025
Census date
24-March-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
02-May-2025
Results released date
24-June-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Identify and describe current theories of Solar System formation, the various theories of how life began on Earth and the parallel evolution of life and the environment
  • Discuss and explain how our limited understanding of life influences current searches for life in the Solar System
  • Recognise how astrobiology relates to other sciences
  • Explain basic principles and concepts about the synthesis of complex molecules in a non-technical way understandable to the wider public
  • Use problem solving skills to explain solutions to problems in astrobiology and the origins of life
  • Design and create a research project using credible sources of astronomical information and research articles and/or observational means

Teaching methods

Hawthorn Online

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Online
Learning Activities		 2.76 13 weeks  36
On-Campus
Class		 2.00 12 weeks 12
Specified Activities
Independent Learning		 7.84 13 weeks 102
TOTAL     150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
NewsgroupsIndividual 10 - 30% 1,2,3,4 
Online QuizzesIndividual 10 - 30% 1,2,4,5 
ProjectGroup 40 - 60% 1,2,3,4,5,6 

Content

  • An introduction to astrobiology and its multi-disciplinary nature
  • The early Earth and the rise of life
  • The co-evolution of life and its environments
  • Origin of the Solar System
  • Molecular biology, the tree of life, and the search for the last universal common ancestor
  • The synthesis of complex organic molecules on Earth and in space
  • The possibility of life elsewhere in the Solar System
  • Extrasolar planets, habitability and the signatures of life

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.