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所在平台: Coursera |
课程主页: https://www.coursera.org/learn/emergence-of-life
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课程名称：生命的起源 概述：地球上的生命是如何出现的？生命与地球在地质时间中如何共同演化？宇宙中是否存在其他生命？本课程将通过现代生命之树的视角，深入探讨地球上超过40亿年的生命历史。我们将评估生命史，并结合卡尔·沃斯教授的开创性工作，对生命之树的新理解进行分析。课程内容包括： - 对古老生命的考察，了解第一细胞进化之前的原始生命 - 通过生命之树，研究单细胞和多细胞生命在大约40亿年中的发展 - 地球系统过程（如陨石撞击、火山活动、冰盖形成）如何影响生命之树的结构和演变 本课程强调生命的普遍性，并为寻找外星生命铺平道路。 课程大纲： 1. 入门导读 - 熟悉课程、讲师及学习环境。 2. 第一周 - 地质时间与科学的本质 - 讨论历史与哲学方法，评估卡尔·沃斯教授的研究，介绍科学推理所需的基本工具，并探索早期地球的环境条件。 3. 第二周 - 生命之树与早期地球环境 - 探讨生命周期的物理、化学及生物过程，分析沃斯教授的分子系统发育方法，揭示生命的起源与宇宙中的生命分布。 4. 第三周 - 化石化与前寒武纪生命-地球互动 - 研究古老化石的解读，获得古生物生活方式的重建信息。 5. 第四周 - 骨骼出现后的古生代生命 - 学习寒武纪大爆发，了解无脊椎动物及脊椎动物的演化及生物多样性的变化。 6. 第五周 - 古生代植物、爬行动物与陆地的过渡 - 探讨植物向陆地的进军及其对生态系统的影响，以及二叠-三叠纪大灭绝后的生物演化。 7. 第六周 - 中生代恐龙的统治与飞行的演变 - 分析二叠-三叠纪灭绝事件后的生态机会，探索恐龙的兴起及灾难性陨石撞击的影响。 8. 第七周 - 新生代哺乳动物与全球环境变化 - 研究新生代哺乳动物的多样化与形态变化，探讨灵长类与类人猿的演化理论。 9. 第八周 - 天体生物学与宇宙中生命的探索 - 探索生命的基本概念与可居住环境，研究未来太空探索和生命搜索的前景。 本课程将为您解答生命起源及其在宇宙中的存在等问题，激发对科学探索的热情。
Name:Orientation
Description:In this module, you will become familiar with the course, your instructor, your classmates, and our learning environment.
Name:Week 1 - Geological Time and the Nature of Science
Description: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.
Name:Week 2 - The Tree of Life and Early Earth Environments
Description: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!
Name:Week 3 - Fossilization and Precambrian Life-Earth Interaction
Description: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.
Name:Week 4 - Paleozoic Life After the Advent of Skeletons
Description: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.
Name:Week 5 - Paleozoic Plants, Reptiles, and the Transition to Land
Description:In the early Paleozoic, plants evolved to leave the water and invade the terrestrial landscape. Following this transition, vertebrates emerged into land-based ecosystems, and Carbon Dioxide concentrations increased in the atmosphere. The greenhouse warming of the Earth propelled the success of both prevascular and vascular plants, as well as the related terrestrial radiation of the three lineages of the reptiles. This week, you'll also learn about the Permian-Triassic mass extinction and later environmental changes that opened the door to the rise of the diapsids.
Name:Week 6 - Mesozoic Reign of the Dinosaurs and the Development of Flight
Description:This week, you'll learn more about the Permian-Triassic extinction event, which caused more than 80% of life to go extinct. This opened vast swaths of ecological opportunity for radiation and diversification of life during the Mesozoic. You'll learn about symbiosis, which was widely utilized during this period, as well as the fascinating lineage of diapsid reptiles that rose to replace the synapsid predators of the late Paleozoic. We'll also discuss the rise of the dinosaurs, as well as the catastrophic meteor impact that drove the dinosaurs to extinction.
Name:Week 7 - Cenozoic Mammals and Global Environmental Change
Description:With the demise of the dinosaurs, mammals rapidly radiated and diversified during the Cenozoic. The combination of abundant food sources and significant fluctuations in global climate fostered extreme variations in morphology, body size, and interaction with the environment. You'll learn why mammals had a distinct advantage over previous groups, and you'll also have the opportunity to explore multiple theories on primate and hominoid evolution in the context of global conditions during this period.
Name:Week 8 - Astrobiology and the Search for Life in the Cosmos
Description:No matter where you are or what you believe, sometime in your life you will look up into the sky and ask: What is out there? Where are we going? Is there life elsewhere in the universe? This course is dedicated to searching for answers to these questions. The fundamental concepts of life and habitable environments, established upon the modern synthesis of the Tree of Life, will direct us in recognizing biospheres that might be quite different from our own. In the last week of this course, we will look in detail at what the future has in store for space exploration and the search for life in the cosmos.
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.
