Aims & Objectives

• A critical examination of various theories for the origin of life, the empirical evidence and experimental tests.
• To appreciate the problems and gaps in the various proposals
• To investigate some mathematical and computer models of the origins of life
• To appreciate the various physical and chemical pre-requisites for life in the universe.

Mode

• We will probably meet twice a week for 1.5 to 2 hours each.
• The material in weeks 3-6 and 11-12 will be evenly divided for presentation by each of the participating students. You should prepare a two page (maximum) outline for each of your assigned topics and give it to the rest of the class one week before your oral presentation. The discussions during the presentations will probably lead to additional insights or clarifications which you should document in an additional (maximum of) two pages for each of your topics. So each topic you present will result in a maximum of 4 pages of documentation that will be part of your report.
• For weeks 0 and 1 you should summarise what you learnt and your personal opinions in a maximum of 2 pages per topic while for weeks 8-10, the summary should not exceed 3 pages.
• Finally, you are to summarise in not more than 10 pages your critical and personal assessment of the most likely route for the origin of life on Earth based on the evidence from all the presentations and discussions.
• Your report should also contain a list of topics covered for which you participated in discussions but did not present orally.E.g. topics pesented by your classmates.

Schedule

• WEEK 0 : What is Life? Viewing of video of lecture by John Maynard Smith followed by a roundtable discussion.
  Overview of some origin of life theories: Video
  
• WEEK 1 : Reconstructing the last common ancestor : Group Presentation
  
• WEEK 2 (Lectures by R.P)
  1. A Brief History of the Universe: From the Big bang to the formation of solar systems and earth like planets.
  2. The origin and abundance of chemical elements in the Universe and on earth
  


• WEEK 3 : Hydrothermal Vents and pre-RNA World (Yingrou)


• WEEK 4 : Panspermia and Clay/IronPyrite templates (Lingzhi)


• WEEK 5 : RNA World and DNA/ protein biogenesis (Wan Ping)
• WEEK 6: Models of cell wall formation.
  1. Coarcevates (Yingrou)
  2. Micelles (Lingzhi)
  3. Protenoids (Wan Ping)
  


• WEEK 7 : Reading Period for weeks 8-10


• WEEKS 8-10 : Critical reading of Dysons Book and possibly more Videos


• WEEKS 11-12 : Miscellaneous Topics, e.g
  1. Conditions for extraterrestrial Life
  2. Non-conventional forms of Life
  3. Geologic, hydrologic and Atmospheric evolution of Earth
  4. Evolution of the genetic code
  5. Evolution of photosynthesis
  6. Evolution of energy producing pathways for aero-metabolism
  7. Origins of Chirality
  8. Computer Simulations of Origin models
  
  
• WEEK 13 : Report completion and Subsmission.

References

1. Origins of life, by Freeman Dyson
2. Origins of life on the earth and in the cosmos by Geoffrey Zubay.
3. Designing the Molecular world by P. Ball
4. The Search for Life on Other Planets by B. Jakosky
5. The search for Life in the Universe by D. Goldsmith and T. Owen
6. Our Cosmic Origins by A. Delsemme
7. The Origins of Life: From The Birth Of Life to the Origin Of Language by John Maynard Smith And Eörs Szathmáry.
8. The new science of astrobiology : from genesis of the living cell to evolution of intelligent behavior in the universe by Julian Chela-Flores
9. The molecular origins of life : assembling pieces of the puzzle edited by André Brack
10. Life on the Edge by M. Gross