How do we define life? This lecture reviews the six basic criteria
for living systems described by biologists: order, reproduction, growth and
development, energy utilization, reaction to environment, and evolution
that characterize life. The last third of the lecture is an admittedly
whirlwind review of natural selection (I got off my stride and got a
lit ... Show More
Oct 2009
Lecture 15: The Chemistry of Life
What is the basic chemistry of living organisms? We introduce the requirements for metabolism (raw materials and energy), the ATP/ADP energy cycle in cells, auto- and heterotrophs, photosynthesis and chemosynthesis, and the role played by liquid water. The goal of today's lecture ... Show More
45m 4s
Mar 2006
Lecture 44: Life, the Universe, and Everything (Life Part II)
How can we search for extraterrestrial intelligence, and what are we looking for? This second part of a 2-part lecture picks up where we left off yesterday by examining SETI, the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence, and reviews what we might look for and how. We will use thi ... Show More
45m 56s
Sep 2007
Lecture 02: Astronomical Numbers
What are our units of measure in astronomy? To begin our exploration of astronomy, we first need to develop a common language for notating large numbers, and introduce the basic units of length, mass, and time that we will use throughout the quarter. This lecture is a quick revie ... Show More
43m 58s
Sep 2007
Welcome to Astronomy 161 for Autumn Quarter 2007
Welcome to the Astronomy 161 Lecture Podcasts. This is a brief message from me explaining the podcasts, and welcoming new and old listeners. University. Lectures will begin on Wednesday, 2007 Sept 19, and run through Friday, 2007 Nov 30. New lectures will appear shortly before 6p ... Show More
7m 35s