Life in the Universe
Spring 2013
Life in the Universe (EÐL620M)
The course is built on four main subject areas:
Astrophysics, Chemistry, Biology, and Earth Sciences.
Student projects
In the first 2 weeks students are assigned a topic to work on for the semester; out of a list of
possible topics provided below. These are solved as group projects, and there are two things
that each group must do: 1) Oral presentation, 2) Detailed report, and 3) Pictorial summary
for the public. The deadlines are listed in the schedule below.
1. Oral presentation. The group will do a 40 minute presentation (if 4 groups, 20 min
if 8 groups …) about their project. Towards the end there will be discussion about
what should be emphasized, added or reduced, in the final report. The presentations
will be 18 – 22 March. Ranking of presentations due 26 March (e-mail to Throstur).
2. Detailed report. Should be thought of as chapter teaching about the topic. So
include explanatory figures and data as needed. Due 14 April 2013 as pdf to all
teachers.
3. Pictorial summary. Due 14 April 2013 as pdf (or other format) to all teachers.
Short presentations (10 min), introduction of reports, in the week of 15 – 19 April.
Ranking of pictorial summary due 23 April (e-mail to Throstur).
The projects should cover at least two of the four main subject areas. We will aim at mixing
students, such that the project is not necessarily in the student’s main field of study.
The basic idea is that each group writes a detailed report, based on scientific papers, which is
the consensus of the whole group. Then writes a pictorial summary intended for public
education. Those might be posted on the VoN home page.
Each student will hand in ranking of the: a) Oral presentations (deadline 26 March),
and b) pictorial summary (deadline 23 April), except own group obviously, and c) a short
summary of their own and others’ efforts in the group project. All of this should be e-mailed
to Throstur.
Ranking means arranging the presentations, and reports, in order (1=best, 2=second …). No
two groups can have the same ranking. You should add comments explaining how you rank
the groups, what was good, what was missing and so on. You can add your suggested grades.
Student ranking will always weigh at least 50% in the final ranking.
Exams / Projects
At the end of each subject there will be a short exam. The student must get a passing grade
from those 4 exams (average of the four) for other projects to count towards the final grade.
There are also short projects in some subject areas, as listed below.
Field trip
On Saturday, April 13, students will be taken on a field trip to Grændalur in Hengill. The
microbiology of the geothermal area and the geology of the region will be outlined. Students
hand in a 2 page report on the subjects of the trip. Deadline: Friday April 19, e-mail to
Thorsteinn and Gudmundur.
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Life in the Universe
Spring 2013
Course evaluation
Exams / projects*1
Detailed report2
Pictorial summary2
Oral presentation2
Ranking1
Field trip1
40%
20%
15%
10%
5%
10%
*For each part, exam / projects, so 4*10%. 1Individual grades, 2group grades.
Each day beyond deadline is -0.5 off final mark for that project.
Schedule
Week 1
Jan 07 – Jan 11
Introduction / Astrophysics
Week 2
Jan 14 – Jan 18
Astrophysics
Week 3
Jan 21 – Jan 25
Astrophysics – Exam
Week 4
Jan 28 – Feb 01
Chemistry
Week 5
Feb 04 – Feb 08
Chemistry
Week 6
Feb 11 – Feb 15
Chemistry – Exam
Week 7
Feb 18 – Feb 22
Biology
Week 8
Feb 25 – Mar 01
Biology
Week 9
Mar 04 – Mar 08
Biology – Exam
Week 10
Mar 11 - Mar 15
Earth sciences
Week 11
Mar 18 – Mar 22
Student lectures: Oral presentations
Ranking due 26 March
Week 12
Mar 25 – Mar 29
Easter holiday (Mar 27 – Apr 02)
Week 13
Apr 01 – Apr 05
Earth sciences
Week 14
Apr 08 – Apr 12
Earth sciences – Exam
Detailed and pictorial report (pdf) due 14 April
Week 15
Apr 15 – Apr 19
Short report presentations
Ranking due 23 April
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Life in the Universe
Spring 2013
Lectures – syllabus
Astrophysics (Páll Jakobsson)
Lectures
Week 1
The search for exoplanets.
Week 2
The early Universe.
Origin of the primordial
elements hydrogen and
helium in the Big Bang.
Week 3
Origin of heavier
elements. Formation of
stars and galaxies.
Exam
Chemistry (Ágúst Kvaran)
Lectures
Projects
Readings:
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Atoms and chemical bonds Chemistry in space,
Importance of
according to quantum
thermochemistry
mechanics,
Importance of
photochemistry,
Biochemistry
Carbon chemistry,
Formation of organic- and
Atoms and molecules
macro-molecules in space
in space
Problem solving
Computer Project:
Exam
Spectra simulations
See: https://notendur.hi.is/agust/kennsla/ee13/lifialheimi13/lifialheimi13.htm
Biology (Guðmundur Ó. Hreggviðsson)
Lectures
Week 7
The concepts of life and
living organisms
Origin of life on earth,
Life on early earth
The primordial soup and
other hypotheses.
Thresholds of life
The RNA-world.
Week 8
Energy metabolism of
early life
The tree of life (16S rRNA
analysis).
Diversity of
microorganisms – the
microbial biosphere.
Geological biomarkers –
evidence of life before the
advent of multicellular life
Projects
Week 9
Interaction between life
and the environment,
Earths mineral circles.
Introduction of oxygen
into the atmosphere.
Extremophiles
Advent of multi-cellular
life
Prospects of Life on other
planets in the solar system
Exam
Earth Sciences (Þorsteinn Þorsteinsson and Þröstur Þorsteinsson)
Lectures
Week 10
The geological history of
Mars
The atmosphere of Mars
Water and ice on Mars
Search for life on Mars
Mars analogs in Iceland
Week 12/13
Subglacial lakes in
Antarctica and Iceland
Icy moons of Jupiter
Titan: Results from the
Cassini Mission
Projects
Week 14
Earth’s surface- and
climate history and human
evolution
Exam
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Life in the Universe
Spring 2013
Topics
Students may develop their own projects in collaboration with the appropriate teachers.
 Search for life / Search for life on Mars
o
Instruments on the Curiosity Rover
o
What to search for in terms of, for instance, chemistry (chemistry), surface
signatures (earth sciences), and habitat (astrophysics, biology).
o
How to detect signs of life. For instance remote sensing (astrophysics, earth
sciences), and chemical signatures (chemistry, biology).
 Geobiology – interaction of life and environment in hot springs
o
Model for life on early earth (biology and earth sciences).
 What is special about planets inside the habitable zone?
o
Physical, chemical, biological and geological properties
 Ice ages.
o
What can we learn from Earth-Mars comparisons (astrophysics and earth
sciences).
 Exoplanets discovered by the Kepler spacecraft
o
Could life develop on them in any form? (astrophysics, chemistry, biology)
 The impact of nearby supernovae and gamma-ray bursts on life on Earth
o
Astrophysics, biology, earth sciences.
 Composition, function and importance of (DNA) genes in life.
o
From chemistry to biology
 From the standard model of elementary particles to atoms and molecules.
o
Importance of the Higgs field/boson in compound creation (from physics to
chemistry.
 Planetary atmospheres
o
Development and habitability
 Origin of water on Earth
o
Internal or external sources?
 Impacts in Earth history
o
Their effect on the evolution of life
 Snowball Earth
o
Scientific fact or interesting hypothesis?
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