Instructor: Dr. Michael J. Dowler

Office: LS-364

Phones: Office: 594-4088 Department: 594-6767 email: mdowler@sunstroke.sdsu.edu

Office hours: MWF 10-12, or by appointment

Grade Determination

Your grade will be determined from a plot of the distribution of your total score on three exams. These exams will be given on the last class day of the 5th, 10th, and 15th week (unless otherwise noted in class). Exam dates are Oct. 1, Nov. 5 and Dec. 10. No make-up exams will be given. A typical distribution of grades over the last few years has been about 1/2 A's and B's, and 1/2 C’s.

The exams will primarily be essay or short answer.

Statement of Course Content

This course is designed to familiarize the student with the scientific models that societies in western culture have used to explain the origin of life on earth. In addition the student will learn about the relationship of these scientific models to certain religious/philosophical explanations of this event. About a third of the course is an historical tour of the proposal and failure of various models. The tour culminates with an in-depth consideration of the foundation and development of our present model, chemical evolution. It is the goal of the instructor to make the student aware of the reasons for what we believe. In this way one can hopefully feel comfortable with major shifts in explanation, such as the current restructuring of Darwin's natural selection as the model for biological evolution and the inclusion of the idea of punctuated equilibria (a topic discussed in some depth in the course). After completion of the course the student should know upon what lines of evidence chemical evolution rests and what future findings might alter or overthrow that explanation. In addition the student will be aware of what the scientific alternatives are in that event.

Specific examples of topic include, but are not limited to:

1. A consideration of what makes an idea scientific and how this applies to origin of life theories.

2. Consideration of the development of the theory of generation of wholly formed organisms and its eventual demise due to Pasteur.

3. Consideration of the notion of Panspermia (S. Arrhenius), its failure to obtain scientific credibility, and its eventual reconsideration in the form of Orgel and Crick's Directed Panspermia.

4. Considerations of aspects of 19th century science that eventually led to Chemical Evolution. (Development of Biochemistry, triumph of mechanism in Biology, Darwin, Mendelian Genetics, theory of radioactive decay, its implication for earth's age, etc.)

5. An in-depth consideration of Oparin's Chemical Evolution from its first proposal, through Stanley Miller's experiments to the present experimental support to include:

a. evidence concerning the early earth and its atmosphere

b. the early record of life (fossils and microfossils)

c. the formation of early reactive species and their condensation to biomonomers

d. the formation of biopolymers

e. organizing principles and the formation of proto cells

f. extraterrestrial evidence to support chemical evolution

g. terrestrial evidence to support chemical evolution

NOTE: Not available for G.E. credit for majors in Biology, Microbiology, or Environmental Health.