Weeks 1-2 (9/24-10/3)

Time & Space Scales, The Big Bang, Stellar Evolution, Creation & Distribution of the Chemical Elements - Lecture Notes #1 Revised & uploaded 10/13/08 v. 14 (ppt-17MB) [pdf-22MB], 10/1/08 v. 9 (ppt) [pdf], original version v. 2 [pdf-20MB]

Assigned Readings:

• Lintott et al. (2007) A Story of Astronomical Importance, NY Times, March 5, 2007.
• Dark, Perhaps Forever, by Dennis Overbye [pdf] & Expanding Universe graphic [pdf], NY Times June 3, 2008.
• The Big Bang Tour by A. Babul at the University of Victoria, describing the time history of the birth of the universe.
• The Cosmic Distance Scale by Maggie Masetti at NASA, an excellent graphical tour for visualizing astronomical distance scales.

Optional Readings:

• Immigrant Sun: Our Star Could Be Far From Where It Started In Milky Way, according to UW astronomers, reported in Science News, 9/16/08.
• Roskar et al. (2008) Riding the Spiral Waves: Implications of Stellar Migration for the Properties of Galactic Disks. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 684(2), L79-L82.
• Cowan & Thielemann (2004) R-Process Nucleosynthesis in Supernovae, Physics Today, Oct. 2004, pp. 47-53.

Weeks 2-3 (10/3-10/13)

Origin of the Solar System, The Habitable Zone, Earth Segregation, Formation & Composition of Early Atmosphere & Ocean - Lecture Notes #2, Revised & uploaded 10/13/08 v.14 (ppt-25MB) [pdf-40MB] 10/11/08 v. 11 (ppt-25MB) [pdf-28MB] Original version v. 1 [pdf-22MB]

Assigned Readings:

• Valley (2006) Early Earth, Elements, Vol. 2: 201-204. (NOTE: I realize this is the entire magazine file but you are only required to read pp. 201-204.)
• Taylor & McLennan (1996) The evolution of continental crust, Scientific American, January 1996, pp. 76-81.
• Lineweaver, C.H., Fenner, Y., Gibson, B.K., (2004) The Galactic Habitable Zone and the age distribution of complex life in the Milky Way, Science, Vol. 303, pp. 59-62.

Optional Readings:

• O'neil et al. (2008) Neodymium-142 evidence for Hadean mafic crust, Science Vol. 321: 1828-1831 (Sept. 26, 2008).
• Halliday (2006) The origin of the Earth: What's new?, Elements, Vol. 2: 205-210.
• Koeberl (2006) Impact Processes on the early Earth, Elements, Vol. 2: 211-216.
• Zahnle (2006) Earth's earliest atmosphere, Elements, Vol. 2: 217-222.
• Nutman (2006) Antiquity of the oceans and continents, Elements, Vol. 2: 223-227.
• Jacobsen, S. B. (2005) The Hf-W isotopic system and the origin of the Earth and Moon, Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 33: 531-570.
• BBC report on new evidence for water on an extra-solar planet 150 light-years away. [pdf]

Weeks 4-6 (10/15-29)

Wed. Oct. 15th: Quiz #1

The Origin of Life, Part 1 - Lecture Notes #3 Revised: (v8_ppt_11-3-08_33MB) [v8_pdf_11-3-08_35MB] (v1_ppt_10-16-08_27MB) [v1_pdf_10-16-08_27MB]

Assigned Readings & Lectures:

• Schopf (2006) The first billion years: When did life emerge?, Elements, Vol. 2: 229-233.
• Dalton (2002) Squaring up over ancient life, Nature, Vol. 417: 782-784.
• David Catling Astrobiology Lecture, Tuesday October 21, 2008, "Initial results from NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander", 2:30 pm in A-118 UW Physics/Astronomy Auditorium (PAA). Podcast to be posted if you cannot attend.

Optional Readings:

• Mojzsis et al. (1996) Evidence for life on Earth before 3,800 million years ago. Nature, Vol. 384: 55-59.
• Brasier et al. (2002) Questioning the evidence for Earth's oldest fossils, Nature, Vol. 416: 76-81.
• Schopf et al. (2002) Laser-Raman imagery of Earth's earliest fossils, Nature, Vol. 416: 73-76.
• Garcia-Ruiz et al. (2003) Self-Assembled Silica-Carbonate Structures and Detection of Ancient Microfossils, Science, Vol. 302: 1194-1197.

The Origin of Life, Part 2 - Lecture Notes #4 (v11_10-31-08_ppt_14MB) [v11_10-31-08_pdf_4MB] (v2_10-22-08_ppt_11MB) [v2_pdf_10-22-08_3MB]

Assigned Readings & Lectures:

• Hazen (2001) Life's Rocky Start, Scientific American, April 2001: 76-85.
• David Deamer (UC-Santa Cruz) Lecture, "Environmental Constraints on Self-assembly Processes and the Advent of Cellular Life", UW Astrobiology Seminar Series Nov. 17, 2006. Note: this is a podcast that plays in Quicktime.
• Steven Benner (formerly Univ. of Florida; now varios foundations & companies) Lecture, "Four Approaches to a General Theory of Life", NASA Astrobiology Institute, April 28, 2008. Note: this is a podcast that plays in Quicktime.

Optional Readings & Lectures:

• Nisbet & Sleep (2001) The habitat and nature of early life, Nature Vol. 409: 1083-1091.
• Bada (2004) How life began on Earth: a status report, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 226(1-2): 1-15.
• Robert Hazen (Carnegie Institution) Lecture, "LEFT & RIGHT: Geochemical origins of life's homochirality", UW Astrobiology Seminar Series, May 1, 2007. Note: this is a podcast that plays in Quicktime.
• Weiss et al. (2000) A Low Temperature Transfer of ALH84001 from Mars to Earth, Science Vol. 290: 791-795.
• Parkinson et al. (2008) Habitability of Enceladus: Planetary Conditions for Life, Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres Vol. 38(4): 355-369.

Weeks 6-7 (10/31-11/7)

Oxygenic Photosynthesis & the Rise of Atmospheric Oxygen - Lecture Notes #5 Revised (v8_11-3-08_ppt_32MB) [v8_11-3-08_pdf_26MB] (v3_10-28-08_ppt_29MB) [v3_10-28-08_pdf_4MB]

Assigned Readings:

• Canfield (2005) The Early History of Atmospheric Oxygen, Annual Reviews of Earth and planetary Sciences, Vol. 33: 1-36.

• Wed. Nov. 5th: No Class
• Fri. Nov. 7th, 11:30-12:20: Quiz #2

Week 8 (11/10-17)

Faint Young Sun Paradox, Planetary Energy Balance & the Late Proterozoic Glaciations - Lecture Notes #6 (v11_11-17-08_ppt_78MB) [v11_11-17-08_pdf_37MB] (v1_11-6-08_ppt_52MB) [v1_11-6-08_pdf_7MB]

Assigned Reading:

• Hoffman and Schrag (2002) The snowball Earth hypothesis: testing the limits of global change, Terra Nova, Vol. 14(3): 129-155.

Optional Readings:

• Hoffman et al. (1998) Neoproterozoic snowball Earth. Science, Vol. 281: 1342-1346.
• Lubick (2002) Snowball Fights. Nature Vol. 417: 12-13.

Week 9-10 (11/17-26)

The CO2-Climate Connection Late Proterozoic & Phanerozoic Climate (542-0 Myr) - Lecture Notes #7 (v10_12-4-08_ppt_60MB) [v10_12-4-08_pdf_97MB] (v6_11-21-08_ppt_54MB) [v6_11-21-08_pdf_81MB] (v2_11-17-08_ppt_58MB) [v2_11-17-08_pdf_16MB]

Assigned Readings:

• Crowley & Berner (2001) "CO2 and Climate Change." Science Vol. 292: 870-872. [pdf]

Optional Reading:

• Sagan & Mullen (1972) Earth and Mars: Evolution of Atmospheres and Surface Temperatures, Science, Vol. 177: 52-56.

• Mon. Nov. 24th: Quiz #3

• Wed. Nov. 26th: No Class
• Fri. Nov. 28th: Thanksgiving Holiday

Week 11 (12/1-5)

Lecture Notes #8 for Last day of class--Dec 5, 2008 (v3_12-8-08_ppt_18MB) [v3_12-8-08_pdf_24MB]

Cenozoic Climate & Pleistocene Glaciations (65-0 Myr)

Assigned Readings:

Zachos, J., Pagani, M., Sloan, L., Thomas, E., Billups, K., (2001) "Trends, rhythms, and aberrations in global climate 65 Ma to present." Science Vol. 292: 686-693. [pdf]

Final Exam: Wed. Dec. 10th, 2:30-4:20 pm, OSB 425