L&S 117 Astrobiology
		Week 3: Readings and Links

Week 3: The Universe, our galaxy, our solar system.

Assignment: Due Monday, Feb. 5.
Read the article by Norman Pace in the Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences:

Pace, Norman. 2001. The Universal Nature of Biochemistry. Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences, January 30, 2001, volume 98, no. 3, p.
805-808.

Either print the article and highlight the 4 points you find important or
type a list of them. Sign it and turn it in at the start of class.

What is life?

• Not much out there, but there is this article on the possibility of silicon-based life: Alien Lifeforms May Be Inside Earth
• Pre-cursors of cells in space:
  • News article
  • Stuff of Life
  • Scientific American Feature Article: Life's Far-Flung Raw Materials

The remaining topics this week fall under the general heading of Cosmology, or the study of the Universe. There are lots of relevant sites, and here are a few to get you started:

• COSMOS - National Cosmology Supercomputer
• Cosomology FAQ
• NASA Microwave Anisotropy Probe
• Matter Content of the Universe
• The Origin of the Elements
• Scientific American Feature Article: Dark Matter in the Universe

Drake Equation pages:

• The Drake Equation at SETI
• Drake Equation page - let's you manipulate the numbers.
• Drake equation - similar to the above link, but less flexible.