How did life emerge on Earth? How have life and Earth co-evolved through geological time? Is life elsewhere in the universe? Take a look through the 4-billion-year history of life on Earth through the lens of the modern Tree of Life!
This course will evaluate the entire history of life on Earth within the context of our cutting-edge understanding of the Tree of Life. This includes the pioneering work of Professor Carl Woese on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus which revolutionized our understanding with a new "Tree of Life." Other themes include:
-Reconnaissance of ancient primordial life before the first cell evolved
-The entire ~4-billion-year development of single- and multi-celled life through the lens of the Tree of Life
-The influence of Earth system processes (meteor impacts, volcanoes, ice sheets) on shaping and structuring the Tree of Life
This synthesis emphasizes the universality of the emergence of life as a prelude for the search for extraterrestrial life.
Emergence of Life
ofrecido por
Universidad de Illinois en Urbana-Champaign
Programa - Qué aprenderás en este curso
Semana
12 horas para completar
Orientation
In this module, you will become familiar with the course, your instructor, your classmates, and our learning environment.
2 videos (Total 8 minutos), 8 readings, 1 quiz
8 lecturas
Welcome to Emergence of Life!10m
Syllabus10m
Updating Your Profile10m
Social Media10m
About the Discussion Forums10m
How Graded Discussions Work10m
Discussion Rubric10m
Paper Assignment Rubric10m
1 ejercicio de práctica
Orientation Quiz10m
5 horas para completar
Week 1 - Geological Time and the Nature of Science
The week begins with a discussion of the historical and philosophical approaches that have been developed for the completion of scientific research, with the work of Professor Carl Woese evaluated as an example. The basic tools required for this type of scientific reasoning and the ability to overcome the challenging concepts of scale and complexity are then presented. Finally, we'll explore the dynamic formation of the Earth itself with respect to the environmental conditions present on the earliest and most ancient version of planet Earth.
9 videos (Total 71 minutos), 1 reading, 2 quizzes
9 videos
1.2. Philosophical Benchmarks in Science10m
1.3. Scientific Inquiry vs Scientific Method6m
1.4. The Scale of Time and Space: Powers of Ten8m
1.5. NASA’s Greeting Card to Aliens: The Golden Record11m
1.6. Deep Geological Time4m
1.7. The Structure of the Solar System7m
1.8. Birth of the Earth7m
1.9. The Perfect Storm: A Recipe for Life5m
1 lectura
Week 1 Overview10m
2 ejercicios de práctica
Week 1 Quiz As
Week 1 Quiz B30m
Semana
210 horas para completar
Week 2 - The Tree of Life and Early Earth Environments
The advent of life on Earth came about as a result of a remarkable confluence of physical, chemical, and biological processes, all of which were intrinsically linked to rapidly changing early Earth environments. Within this context, cutting-edge approaches in molecular phylogeny by Professor Carl Woese revealed new understandings of the emergence of life and the possible distribution of life within the cosmos. All this and more will be explored in this week's lessons!
10 videos (Total 75 minutos), 3 readings, 4 quizzes
10 videos
2.2. The Place of Carl Woese in Evolutionary Biology8m
2.3. Revolution of the Tree of Life7m
2.4. Evolution of the Tree of Life6m
2.5. How Did Life Emerge?5m
2.6. The Genetic Code and Evolutionary Theory7m
2.7. Throwing Rocks at Earth: The Martian Meteorite10m
2.8. Microbial Mats and Stromatolites: Laying Down On the Job6m
2.9. Oxygenation of the Atmosphere5m
2.10. Snowball Earth; It Did Freeze Over!8m
3 lecturas
Week 2 Overview10m
Who Was Carl Woese?10m
Paper Assignment 1 Information10m
2 ejercicios de práctica
Week 2 Quiz As
Week 2 Quiz B30m
Semana
35 horas para completar
Week 3 - Fossilization and Precambrian Life-Earth Interaction
This week, you'll explore how scientists interpret ancient fossilized life, which yields remarkably detailed and complete reconstructions of the lifestyles of ancient organisms that have been deceased for hundreds, thousands, millions, and even billions of years. These reconstructions provide valuable information regarding the evolutionary success of organism morphology and lifestyle.
7 videos (Total 62 minutos), 1 reading, 3 quizzes
7 videos
3.2. Ancient Forensic Science: Fossilization12m
3.3. Getting Old and Well-Preserved: Modes of Preservation9m
3.4. Our Spineless Friends: The Invertebrates6m
3.5. Lifestyles of the Rich and Fossilized6m
3.6. Trying to Make a Living: Fossil Feeding Modes6m
3.7. The Great Experiment of the Ediacaran Fauna7m
1 lectura
Week 3 Overview10m
2 ejercicios de práctica
Week 3 Quiz As
Week 3 Quiz B30m
Semana
49 horas para completar
Week 4 - Paleozoic Life After the Advent of Skeletons
This week, you'll learn more about the Cambrian Explosion, which led to the development of external hard skeleton components at 542 million years before present. The initial successes of the invertebrates were shortly followed by the appearance of vertebrates with internal skeletons. Life then utilized these newfound evolutionary capabilities, beginning distinct cycles of radiation, diversification, and extinction, which define the three great Eukarya faunas of the Phanerozoic.
10 videos (Total 96 minutos), 2 readings, 4 quizzes
10 videos
4.2. Cambrian Explosion3m
4.3. Cambrian Fauna: Origin of Vertebrates14m
4.4. Burgess Shale Experiment5m
4.5. Invertebrates: Successes of Life Without a Backbone18m
4.6. Paleozoic Fauna12m
4.7. Vertebrates: Successes of Life With a Backbone3m
4.8. Evolution of Jaws and Perfecting Predation13m
4.9. Heavily Armored Fish Without Jaws6m
4.10. Fish Evolution: Hook, Line, and Sinker10m
2 lecturas
Week 4 Overview10m
Paper Assignment 2 Information10m
2 ejercicios de práctica
Week 4 Quiz As
Week 4 Quiz B30m
Principales revisiones
Superb instructor!\n\nAnd very precise and detailed information.\n\nThank you so much for putting together such a beautiful course.
Enjoyed every minute of the course and learned so much at the same time!
Instructor
Bruce W. Fouke, Ph.D.
Director of the Roy J. Carver Biotechnology CenterDepartment of Geology, Department of Microbiology, and Institute for Genomic Biology
Acerca de Universidad de Illinois en Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a world leader in research, teaching and public engagement, distinguished by the breadth of its programs, broad academic excellence, and internationally renowned faculty and alumni. Illinois serves the world by creating knowledge, preparing students for lives of impact, and finding solutions to critical societal needs.
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