Astrogeobiology 1400-124AGB
Lecture, 30h
Course comprises:
1. A brief history of astrogeobiology
2. What is life? Understanding some of the key characteristics of life is essential for astrogeobiology.
- historical perspective
- spontaneous generation
- modern concepts
3. Matter and life (the concept of atoms, ions, and molecules and their basic structure)
- dark matter, dark energy, baryonic matter
- electrons, atoms, ions
- molecules (introduction to proteins, amino acids, enzymes)
- covalent bonds and life (thermostability)
- van der Waals interactions and life
- interaction between matter and light
4. Molecular structure of life (the basic elements required by life are carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulphur)
- proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, lipids
- water as a solvent of life
- alternative solvents
5. Cellular structure of life (different cells found in life on Earth)
- types and structures of cells
- transcription: DNA to RNA
- translation: RNA to protein
- DNA replication
- plasmids
- eukaryotic cells
- reproduction of cells
- movement and communication in prokaryotes
6. Viruses: their role in natural environment and origin of life on Earth
7. Fungi: how they make our worlds
8. Energy for life (different types of energy acquisition in organisms: chemo- versus phototrophic forms of energy acquisition; chemiosmosis, electron transport; ATP)
- evolution of photosynthesis
- global biogeochemical cycles
- microbial mats
- thermodynamics of energy acquisition of life
9. Life in extreme environments and the limits of life
10. The tree of life (phylogenetic trees, RNA, LUCA)
11. The Universe, the Solar System and the elements of life (how stars and planets form)
12. Carbon molecules in space (organic molecules)
13. The first billion years of Earth (hypotheses about the formation of Earth, its early oceans and atmosphere; environmental conditions in which life might have emerged)
14. The origin of life (panspermia, the RNA world, early cells, hydrothermal vents, impact craters, volcanic environments, deep subsurface)
- methods used to investigate life
- stromatolites
- biomarkers and contamination
15. The rise of oxygen (major source and sinks of oxygen on Earth, Snowball Earth)
16. Mass extinctions (five major mass extinctions in the Phanerozoic, purported causes of mass extinctions)
17. Habitability of planetary bodies (habitable/Goldilocks zone and its limitations)
18. The astrogeobiology of Mars (missions, evidence for water, limits to life)
19. Ocean worlds and icy moons (astrogeobiology of moons; the evidence for water bodies under the surfaces of Europa, Ganymede and Enceladus; carbon cycle on Titan; habitability in the interior of moons)
20. Exoplanets and the search for life (methods used to detect exoplanets, diversity of exoplanets)
21. Hayabusa missions to Ryugu and Bennu (carbonaceous asteroids thought to be the rocky building blocks of the early solar system)
Practical, 60h
The practical course in astrogeobiology consists of independent work or work in groups with organic solvents, chemical reagents and cultures of bacteria and fungi. Students learn about possible contamination of ancient sedimentary and extraterrestrial samples and extraction techniques of organic matter from Precambrian sedimentary rocks and samples collected from the Moon, Mars, etc. Students study rock colonizing bacteria examining samples collected from cold and hot deserts (examination includes microscopic analyses, isolation and cultivation of microorganisms). Analysis of cultured cyanobacteria, other bacteria and fungi under epifluorescence microscope (using blue, green and UV-filters and fluorescing pigments).
Students perform ecophysiological experiments with extremophilic taxa of cyanobacteria in variable conditions to understand the importance of various ecophysiological traits in colonization of inhospitable environment.
In addition, students learn how to extract and isolate DNA from sediments, rocks, and cultured microorganisms, followed by analysis of marker genes responsible for particular processes (for example nitrogen fixation, photosynthesis-related genes) using PCR technique.
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
The student will learn about how life originated and diversified on Earth, how life can be defined and whether it can exist beyond Earth, and what the future of life on Earth is. The student will learn theoretical aspects of astrogeobiology as an introduction to biological and geological techniques used to decipher life on Earth and beyond presented during practical course.
The student will learn about how to extract organic matter from Precambrian rock samples and how to avoid contamination; basic biomarkers found in Precambrian rocks; culturing of bacteria (with special attention paid to cyanobacteria extremotolerant and extremophiles) and fungi; DNA extraction and isolation from sediments and rocks (subaerial and endolithic) as well as from cultured bacterial strains; identifying regions of genomic DNA that encode genes responsible for important biochemical processes in cells
Assessment criteria
The examination requirements cover the scope of material presented at the lectures and the practical course. The exam is in writing and includes a test and descriptive part.
Additional presentation of selected topics based on experiments and literature.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: