This interactive course note
is designed to give you an introduction to Astrobiology that you can work
through at your own pace and return to at any time. It consists of four units
covering topics such as life, DNA, evolution, and our solar system.
This book addresses
important current and historical topics in astrobiology and the search for life
beyond Earth, including the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
This note describes the origin and development of life on the
planet Earth within the context of an evolving universe. It begins with an
overview of the origins of the universe from the "Big Bang" to our own solar
system and then integrate the principles of physics, chemistry, geology and
biology to study the origins of life on Earth.