LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE

Prerequisites & course information

Requisites: None Course Designation: Core GenEd - Natural Science & Wellness Breadth - Physical Science Level - Elementary L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Spring 2026 Learning Outcomes: 1. Show how scientific reasoning and the scientific method are used to determine Earth’s place within the solar system and the cosmos. Audience: Undergraduate 2. Connect our current observations of exoplanets with their potential roles in the origin of life elsewhere in the Universe. Audience: Undergraduate 3. Describe the physical and chemical limits of life on Earth to chart the potential for life on Mars and other worlds. Audience: Undergraduate 4. Apply the genetic code to interpret the origin and evolution of life on Earth. Audience: Undergraduate 5. Summarize key geologic events on Earth and Mars; interpret relationships between planetary tectonics and habitability. Audience: Undergraduate 6. Explain the range of evidence in the rock record for early life on Earth and critique the fidelity of this record. Audience: Undergraduate 7. Illustrate how quantitative approaches are used to analyze problems in astronomy, biology, and geology. Audience: Undergraduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Show how scientific reasoning and the scientific method are used to determine Earth’s place within the solar system and the cosmos. Audience: Undergraduate 2. Connect our current observations of exoplanets with their potential roles in the origin of life elsewhere in the Universe. Audience: Undergraduate 3. Describe the physical and chemical limits of life on Earth to chart the potential for life on Mars and other worlds. Audience: Undergraduate 4. Apply the genetic code to interpret the origin and evolution of life on Earth. Audience: Undergraduate 5. Summarize key geologic events on Earth and Mars; interpret relationships between planetary tectonics and habitability. Audience: Undergraduate 6. Explain the range of evidence in the rock record for early life on Earth and critique the fidelity of this record. Audience: Undergraduate 7. Illustrate how quantitative approaches are used to analyze problems in astronomy, biology, and geology. Audience: Undergraduate