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Emergence of Life
  • Level Foundation
  • Duration 45 hours
  • Course by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
  • Offered by

About

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.

Modules

Orientation

    • 1 Videos
    • 8 Readings
Show info about module content

1 Videos

  • Emergence of Life Trailer

8 Readings

  • Welcome to Emergence of Life!
  • Syllabus
  • Updating Your Profile
  • Social Media
  • About the Discussion Forums
  • How Graded Discussions Work
  • Discussion Rubric
  • Paper Assignment Rubric

Orientation Activities

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Plugin
    • 1 Assignment
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1 Assignment

  • Orientation Quiz

1 Videos

  • Welcome to the Emergence of Life!

Week 1 Information

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Week 1 Overview

Week 1 Lectures

    • 9 Videos
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9 Videos

  • 1.1. Scientific World View
  • 1.2. Philosophical Benchmarks in Science
  • 1.3. Scientific Inquiry vs Scientific Method
  • 1.4. The Scale of Time and Space: Powers of Ten
  • 1.5. NASA’s Greeting Card to Aliens: The Golden Record
  • 1.6. Deep Geological Time
  • 1.7. The Structure of the Solar System
  • 1.8. Birth of the Earth
  • 1.9. The Perfect Storm: A Recipe for Life

Week 1 Activities

    • 1 Discussion
    • 2 Assignment
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2 Assignment

  • Week 1 Quiz A
  • Week 1 Quiz B

1 Discussions

  • Week 1 Discussion

Week 2 Information

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Week 2 Overview

Week 2 Lectures

    • 10 Videos
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10 Videos

  • 2.1. The Scientific Inquiry of Carl Woese
  • 2.2. The Place of Carl Woese in Evolutionary Biology
  • 2.3. Revolution of the Tree of Life
  • 2.4. Evolution of the Tree of Life
  • 2.5. How Did Life Emerge?
  • 2.6. The Genetic Code and Evolutionary Theory
  • 2.7. Throwing Rocks at Earth: The Martian Meteorite
  • 2.8. Microbial Mats and Stromatolites: Laying Down On the Job
  • 2.9. Oxygenation of the Atmosphere
  • 2.10. Snowball Earth; It Did Freeze Over!

Week 2 Activities

    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 PeerReview
    • 2 Assignment
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2 Assignment

  • Week 2 Quiz A
  • Week 2 Quiz B

1 Peer Review

  • Weeks 1-2 Discussion Samples

1 Discussions

  • Week 2 Discussion

1 Readings

  • Who Was Carl Woese?

Honors Paper Assignment 1

    • 1 Readings
    • 1 PeerReview
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1 Peer Review

  • Paper Assignment 1

1 Readings

  • Paper Assignment 1 Information

Week 3 Introduction

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Week 3 Overview

Week 3 Lectures

    • 7 Videos
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7 Videos

  • 3.1. DCSI: Dino Crime Scene Investigators
  • 3.2. Ancient Forensic Science: Fossilization
  • 3.3. Getting Old and Well-Preserved: Modes of Preservation
  • 3.4. Our Spineless Friends: The Invertebrates
  • 3.5. Lifestyles of the Rich and Fossilized
  • 3.6. Trying to Make a Living: Fossil Feeding Modes
  • 3.7. The Great Experiment of the Ediacaran Fauna

Week 3 Activities

    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 PeerReview
    • 2 Assignment
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2 Assignment

  • Week 3 Quiz A
  • Week 3 Quiz B

1 Peer Review

  • Week 3 Discussion Samples

1 Discussions

  • Week 3 Discussion

Week 4 Introduction

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Week 4 Overview

Week 4 Lectures

    • 10 Videos
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10 Videos

  • 4.1. Cycles of Radiation and Extinction
  • 4.2. Cambrian Explosion
  • 4.3. Cambrian Fauna: Origin of Vertebrates
  • 4.4. Burgess Shale Experiment
  • 4.5. Invertebrates: Successes of Life Without a Backbone
  • 4.6. Paleozoic Fauna
  • 4.7. Vertebrates: Successes of Life With a Backbone
  • 4.8. Evolution of Jaws and Perfecting Predation
  • 4.9. Heavily Armored Fish Without Jaws
  • 4.10. Fish Evolution: Hook, Line, and Sinker

Week 4 Activities

    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 PeerReview
    • 2 Assignment
Show info about module content

2 Assignment

  • Week 4 Quiz A
  • Week 4 Quiz B

1 Peer Review

  • Week 4 Discussion Samples

1 Discussions

  • Week 4 Discussion

Honors Paper Assignment 2

    • 1 Readings
    • 1 PeerReview
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1 Peer Review

  • Paper Assignment 2

1 Readings

  • Paper Assignment 2 Information

Week 5 Introduction

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Week 5 Overview

Week 5 Lectures

    • 7 Videos
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7 Videos

  • 5.1. Plants Invade the Land and Sea
  • 5.2. Early Prevascular Plants
  • 5.3. Takeover of the Vascular Plants
  • 5.4. Pennsylvanian Greenhouse Earth
  • 5.5. Rise of the Reptiles
  • 5.6. Reptiles Heating Up: Thermal Regulation
  • 5.7. Diapsids and Synapsids: Ships Passing in the Night

Week 5 Activities

    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 PeerReview
    • 2 Assignment
Show info about module content

2 Assignment

  • Week 5 Quiz A
  • Week 5 Quiz B

1 Peer Review

  • Week 5 Discussion Samples

1 Discussions

  • Week 5 Discussion

Week 6 Introduction

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Week 6 Overview

Week 6 Lectures

    • 8 Videos
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8 Videos

  • 6.1. Symbiosis as a Strategy of Survival
  • 6.2. Rise of the Diapsids
  • 6.3. Pterosaurs: The ONLY Flying Reptiles
  • 6.4. Dinosaur Phylogeny: Hips Don't Lie
  • 6.5. Evolution of Flight: Life Invades the Sky
  • 6.6. Wild Wings: Fit to Fly
  • 6.7. Cretaceous Warming on a Reorganized Earth
  • 6.8. T. rex, and the Crater of Doom

Week 6 Activities

    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 PeerReview
    • 2 Assignment
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2 Assignment

  • Week 6 Quiz A
  • Week 6 Quiz B

1 Peer Review

  • Week 6 Discussion Samples

1 Discussions

  • Week 6 Discussion

Honors Paper Assignment 3

    • 1 Readings
    • 1 PeerReview
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1 Peer Review

  • Paper Assignment 3

1 Readings

  • Paper Assignment 3 Information

Week 7 Introduction

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Week 7 Overview

Week 7 Lectures

    • 10 Videos
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10 Videos

  • 7.1. House of the Rising Mammals
  • 7.2. Mammals Conquer the Earth
  • 7.3. Big is Beautiful
  • 7.4. Sophistication of Mammal Skulls
  • 7.5. Mammalian Dentition: My, What Big Teeth You Have!
  • 7.6. Mammals: Taxonomy is in the Eye of the Beholder
  • 7.7. Mammal-Marsupial Exchange: There Goes the Neighborhood
  • 7.8. The Primates
  • 7.9. The Rise of Humans: Getting a Leg Up on the Competition
  • 7.10. Early Hominids: Trees versus Savannahs

Week 7 Activities

    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 PeerReview
    • 2 Assignment
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2 Assignment

  • Week 7 Quiz A
  • Week 7 Quiz B

1 Peer Review

  • Week 7 Discussion Samples

1 Discussions

  • Week 7 Discussion

Week 8 Introduction

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Week 8 Overview

Week 8 Lectures

    • 9 Videos
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9 Videos

  • 8.1. NASA Astrobiology: Roadmap to Life in the Universe
  • 8.2. NASA: A Platform for Inter-Disciplinary Science
  • 8.3. Mars Flybys and Orbiters: Getting the Picture
  • 8.4. Mars Rovers: Was the Red Planet Habitable?
  • 8.5. NASA Future Missions
  • 8.6. NASA Institute for Universal Biology
  • 8.7. Think and Wonder…Wonder and Think
  • 8.8. The Emergence of Life: Course Synthesis
  • Emergence of Life Outtakes

Week 8 Activities

    • 2 Videos
    • 1 Discussion
    • 1 Plugin
    • 2 Assignment
Show info about module content

2 Assignment

  • Week 8 Quiz A
  • Week 8 Quiz B

1 Discussions

  • Week 8 Discussion

2 Videos

  • Week 8 Quiz A Video 1: Curiosity Completes Its First Martian Year
  • Week 8 Quiz A Video 2: One Year to Pluto

Auto Summary

Explore the 4-billion-year history of life on Earth with "Emergence of Life," a foundational course in Science & Engineering. Led by expert instructors, this course examines the evolution of life through the modern Tree of Life, including Carl Woese's groundbreaking work. Key topics include primordial life, single- and multi-celled organisms, and Earth's geological impacts. Ideal for beginners, this 2700-minute course is available through Coursera with Starter and Professional subscription options. Perfect for anyone curious about life's origins and the search for extraterrestrial life.

Bruce W. Fouke, Ph.D.
Instructor

Bruce W. Fouke, Ph.D.