CCST9018 - Origin and Evolution of Life - Schedule 2021

Lectures
Week Date Lecture
1 20/1 Lec 1: Chemistry of Life (KL)
2 27/2 Lec 2: Earth - A rare habitable world (KL)
3 3/2 Lec 3: Exoplanets (KL)
4 10/2 Lec 4: Earth’s (and Mars’?) early oceans (KL)
- 17/2 (Chinese New Year)
5 24/2 Lec 5: Titan: an early Earth-like environment? (KL)
6 3/3 Lec 6: Europa (KL)
7 10/3 (Reading week)
8 17/3 Lec 7: Proxima B (KL)
9 24/3 Lec 8: SETI and Drake (KL)
10 31/3 Lec 9: What is life and mechanisms of evolution (PB)
11 7/4 Lec 10: Evidence for evolution (PB)
12 14/4 Lec 11: Story of Life (PB)
13 21/4 Lec 12: Human Evolution (PB)
14 28/4 Lec 13: Poster presentation session

Tutorials
Week Date Tutorial
1 18/1 - 22/1 -
2 25/1 - 29/1
3 1/2 - 5/2 Tut 1: Introductions and observations (“field-trip”) (+ assignment info)
4 8/2 - 12/2 Tut 2: Scientific method and evolution
- 15/2 - 19/2 (Chinese New Year)
5 22/2 - 26/2 Tut 3: Debate arguments feedback
6 1/3 - 5/3 Tut 4: Debate!
7 8/3 - 12/3 (Reading Week)
8 15/3 - 19/3 Tut 5: RNA World Hypothesis
9 22/3 - 26/3 Tut 6: Assignment info & Drake Equation
10 29/2 - 2/4 Tut 7: Natural selection and phenotypic plasticity
11 5/4 - 9/4 Easter break: Friday classes do Tutorial 7
12 12/4 - 16/4 Tut 8: Evolution of… (behaviour)
13 19/4 - 23/4 Tut 9: Phylogenetics
14 26/4 - 30/4 Tut 10: Geo museum tour (Covid-permitting)

Assignments
Assignment Weighting Date Notes
Online quizzes Open 1230 - 1830
Quiz 1 10% Mon 15/3
Quiz 2 10% Thu 8/4
Quiz 3 10% Mon 26/4
Debate 20% 1/3 - 5/3 During tutorial 6
Popular article
Draft submission 2.5% Fri 1/4 Submit via Moodle
Peer review 2.5% Fri 9/4 Submit via Moodle
Final article 15% Fri 16/4 Submit via Moodle
Poster presentation 30% Wed 28/4 During lecture 13