This video-based course probes the question “ Are we alone? ” Unlike SETI scientists, Mars rovers and planet-hunting astronomers, we take a biological approach and ask: “ How did WE get here? ” Like salmon swimming upriver to the pond where they were born, we are led upstream from whence we came. We take a pilgrimage into the past to the origin of life 4 billion years ago. During this evolutionary odyssey with astrobiologist Charley Lineweaver , we ask: Who is “we”? Why did our brains get so big? How did li
Are we alone? seems like a simple question. But, who is “we”? What does it mean to be alone? Alone where?… in our stellar neighbourhood? the galaxy? the entire universe? Is “Are we alone?” an important question? Have humans always asked this question? How have our ideas about extraterrestrials changed with time? The range of “expert” answers to these questions is enormous. Go to Week 1 Week 2 – Our Evolution Over 20 Million Years We lost our tails about 20 million years ago. We lost our small brains a few m
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