How to design an alien: life on other planets?

Course manual 2025/2026

Course content

The intriguing possibilities of life in places beyond Earth, is becoming a viable research field, thanks to advances in chemistry, life science, planetary science and astronomy.  In this transdisciplinary honours course (we will consider non-honours students if there is space) we will address the different dimensions of this question.  We will look at the chemical foundations of reactions that can deliver energy and that can store and copy information. We will analyse the properties of life on Earth and extract the essential aspects of and requirements for Life, and discuss its adaptability.  We will then turn to extrasolar planets and investigate the variety of conditions that can be expected to exist.  We discuss the origin of life on Earth, and extrapolate to other places, conditions, and Life forms.  The course starts with a series of 8 lectures during which teachers from all involved disciplines alternate.  The second part will be a group project. Groups will consist of at least one student each from the different disciplines.  They will work together to introduce each other into the various disciplinary subjects and to speculate about aspects and possible forms of life in a new planetary setting that will be defined for them by the teaching staff.

Lectures will be planned in the evening (17-19 h), probably on Monday and Thursday in periode 1. In period 2 and 3 there will be project meetings in the evenings, approximately once per week.

Objectives

• The student is able to design, justify, and evaluate an effective observing plan to characterize an exoplanet and signatures of life on that planet.
• The student is able to describe what physical and chemical conditions make a planet habitable and design a habitat.
• The student is able to design life based on criteria derived from terrestrial life, within the constraints of an extraterrestrial habitat.
• The student is able to connect a habitat to the chemical building blocks of life and biological processes
• The student has a basic understanding of the differences between the disciplines and is able to reflect upon key elements in the practice of the conducted research (such as differences in methodology, practices and key perspectives) and is able to contrast these.
• Has a basic understanding of key aspects of interdisciplinary collaboration and is able to make an assessment of the collaboration distinguishing between contents, process and relational aspects of the collaboration.

Teaching methods

• Cross teaching by students
• Lecture
• Presentation/symposium
• Self-study
• Working independently on e.g. a project or thesis
• Supervision/feedback meeting

Learning activities

Assessment

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Contact information

Coordinator

• dr. Jocelyne Vreede