This module will look at the origins of the elements from the Big Bang onwards including nuclear synthesis within stars and supernovae. The formation of the first elements and the beginning of chemistry will be followed by an examination of the abundances of the various elements in both stars and planets, including a look at the atmospheric compositions of planets with emphasis on the Earth and our solar system.  We will then take a look at how life may have evolved from the pre-biotic soup on ancient Earth (or elsewhere) and examine just what life *is* and how it may have come about with a discussion on current theories on how life may have first evolved and how early life forms may have manifested.

Knowing(these are things that students will need to be able to do to pass the module)

·      The origins of the elements in the universe and the processes that formed them.

·      The nucleosynthesis processes that occur in stars to create the elements.

·      The Goldilocks principle – why is Earth so ideal for its chemistry to sustain long-term development of life.

·      The plausible prebiotic pathways for the formation of carbohydrates, amino acids, membranes, nucleobases 

·      Key driving forces in prebiotic chemical synthesis

·      The essence of the “RNA world” hypothesis (and its alternatives)

Acting (performance in this area will enable students to obtain more than a basic pass)

·      Explain the relative abundances of the elements in the universe, the solar system and in planets, including their distributions in earth’s core, crust and atmosphere.

·      Explain the chemical evolution of planetary atmospheres.

·      Compare and contrast the biological and prebiotic pathways for the formation of life-essential chemicals

·      Explain the chemical principles that govern all fundamental biochemical reactions. 

Being (performance in this area will enable students to obtain more than a basic pass)

·      Research and assess experimental techniques and findings that driven the generation of the theories for elemental origins, distribution and chemical evolution on Earth’s surface, including prebiotic chemistry.

·      Appreciate the relationship between experiment design and theories/hypothesis

A blend of on-line learning activities with face to face small group learning support and feedback.

16 × 1h Lectures plus 5 x 2hr workshops

On completion of this module, a student will be able to:

1. State the fundamental make of atoms and understand how atomic nuclei are formed;
2. Understand the stability of nuclei, when and how they were formed and relate this to their natural abundances;
3. Understand an overview Earth’s planetary atmosphere and how this has evolved since its formation;
4. Understand what constitutes a lifeform and give an overview of modern theories on how life evolved from the fundamental chemicals present on the ancient earth.

A written exam (1 h) will test the student’s knowledge and understanding as elaborated under the learning outcomes. The coursework (workshops and assignments) will allow the student to demonstrate his/her ability to judge and critically review relevant information. 

• Overview of the relative abundances of the elements.
• The Big Bang and formation of ¹H, ²H, He, Li.
• Stellar nucleosynthesis – from He to Fe.
• Supernovae and creation of the heavier elements.
• The beginning of chemistry, formation of atoms, molecules and ionic compounds.
• Elemental abundances on planets.
• Overview of the Earth’s chemical make-up – core, mantle, crust and atmosphere.
• The Goldilocks principle – the effects of the moon, the magnetic field, CO₂and water on the Earth’s environmental stability – is Earth ‘just right’?
• The prebiotic atmosphere of the ancient earth.
• What constitutes a life form? The fundamental parts of a living cell.
• Membranes, nucleic acids and proteins – polymers of simpler units.
• Biochemical reactions are just a subset of ordinary chemical reactions.
• Simple metabolism – extracting energy from the Sun and from fuel molecules – simple biosynthesis and coupling of the two.
• Storage and replication of genetic information.
• Theories on the origin of early biomolecules – getting the chemistry of life underway – The Miller-Urey experiments.
• The DNA-protein paradox – was early life an ‘RNA-world’?
• Possible origins of biotic redox chemistry, the oxygen catastrophe and the transformation to modern life.

Origins of Life on the Earth and in the Cosmos – Geoffrey Zubay – 2^ndEdition – Harcourt Academic Press, 2000. ISBN: 0-12-781910-X

N Greenwood and A Earnshaw, Chemistry of the Elements – 2^ndEdition – Oxford, Butterworth-Heinemann, 1997, ISBN 0750633654 

Origins of Life in the Universe - Robert Jastrow and Michael R. Rampino – Cambridge University Press, 2008, ISBN 9780521532839