Handbook

Astrobiology studies life in the universe and chemistry, physics, biology and adaptations that influence its origin, evolution and destiny. It encompasses all the sciences, but this fully online third-level and postgraduate elective course focuses mainly on geosciences and microbiology.

The three assessments are interlinked, helping the student build expertise in understanding the challenge of one of our most profound questions: Are we alone in the universe? The first two utilise purpose-built laptop delivered immersive Virtual Field Trips to hot springs and early Earth while the final assessment is enabled with a NASA question and answer session.

The content is organised into a single Moodle e-book each week, each containing interlinked chapters with text, images, videos and other media. Through these electronic books and the approach to assessments, you will learn how life is strongly coupled with its environment and the implications for the search for life on other worlds – particularly Mars - in our solar system and beyond. You will learn how evidence of life can be found in the geological record on Earth 3.48 billion years ago, how the oxygenation of the Earth gave rise to complex life, how evolution is demonstrated, and why the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life – whether microbial or intelligent – is important to our understanding of our place in space.

Electronic book topics cover the origin of life and its philosophical implications, extremophiles, the Tree of Life, fossil records, the co-evolution of life and the planet, planetary and galactic habitable zones, searching for life on Mars and beyond, and more. Students from all science disciplines are encouraged to consider this course providing they have completed the equivalent of at least one full year of university science courses. Students without the necessary background can take BEES2741 Introduction to Astrobiology in Term 2 and follow it with BEES6741 in Term 3.