Units: 3
Prerequisites: None
Acceptable for Credit: CSU, UC
Lecture 3 hours.
Course Typically Offered: Fall

This introductory course surveys the study for life in the universe from the Big Bang to implications of contact with an extraterrestrial civilization while emphasizing the nature and process of physical science. Topics include the formation and evolution of the universe; origin, evolution, and nature of life on Earth; the definitions of "life" and "habitability"; potential in our solar system and beyond; methods of interstellar communication and travel; implications of contact; science vs. pseudoscience; and the status of the search to-date.