Posts by Lynn Rothschild

Astrobiology and Space Exploration - 12 Lectures Available

Astrobiology is a new meta-discipline which combines astronomy, biology, chemistry, philosophy, and physics in an effort to study the current state of life in the universe. In the Stanford Astrobiology Course, lectures follow a, more or less, linear path from the Big Bang all the way to the development of complex life and, finally, space exploration. The course explains how evolutionary principles have operated at the macro, and micro, level ever since the birth of the universe we reside in today.

Planetary Systems Around Other Stars

Guest lecturer Dr. Geoff Marcy gives a lecture entitled, "Planetary Systems Around other Stars," for Professor Lynn Rothschild's Astrobiology and Space Exploration course.

Life Beyond Its Planet of Origin

Rocco L. Mancinelli, a Senior Research Scientist with the Search for Extraterrestrial Life, discusses organisms' potential for survival, adaptation and biological evolution in the atmosphere and beyond to outer space.

ALH 84001 and Other Martian Meteorites

Dr. David McKay, Chief Scientist for Astrobiology at the Johnson Space Center, lectures on his scientific experience with meteorites, more specifically ALH 84001.

The Big Bang

In order to understand “where we come from”, we must understand the evolutionary history of life, and in order to understand that, we must understand the physical history of the earth, and in order to understand that, we must understand its history in the solar system, and in order to understand that….you get the idea.

Controlled Environmental Life Support

This lecture from Astrobiology and Space Exploration is entitled "Controlled Environmental Life Support."

From Interstellar Molecules to Astrobiology

The Big Bang created the physical universe. Of course life is part of this physical universe, but the immediate building blocks of life are chemicals. Before the Big Bang, words such as “time” had no meaning, but even in the first few minutes there could be no chemistry since there were no atoms. The nuclei of some of the lighter elements formed within minutes, atoms some time later, and elements heavier than lithium were forged in the supernovae of stars. Thus, we are primarily star dust, although the hydrogen atom you drink tonight may be nearly as old as the Big Bang.