Syllabus
Cosmology of Life
HP 4152-2, Senior Honors Seminar, TR 2:45-4:00 PM, 103 Merica Hall
Professor Scott Shaw, Curator of the Insect Museum
office 4016 Agriculture Building, lab 4025 (Insect Museum research collections)
phone (307) 766-5338, e-mail braconid@uwyo.edu
Course Description and Rationale:
Cosmology is the science that investigates the history and nature of the universe. This course examines the history of the universe and the evolution of life on Earth. If one gazes towards space, the universe is dappled with billions of stars. Gazing to the Earth, terrestrial ecosystems are teeming with insects, seemingly as countless as the stars above. Indeed, insect species vastly outnumber all other life forms on this planet (by some estimates, there are tens of millions of insect species). Why is this true? Why did insects become the most diverse life forms on this planet? Is something peculiar about the history of this planet that caused life to evolve in that particular direction, or are insects a natural and expected outcome of the evolution of all life? This class examines these questions: How was the universe formed? How was our planet formed? How did life originate? And why did life express itself as millions of insect species?
The class follows a linear, chronological series of events, as understood by modern science, covering roughly 13 billion years of history: the Big Bang; origin of matter, natural forces, and time; atomic structure and evolution of atoms; stellar evolution, origin of stars, generation of elements in stars, stellar life cycles, the destruction of stars and scattering of heavy elements in space; nebular theory, the origin of the Solar system, and planets; formation of the Earth and the moon, planet composition and structure; origin of the earth crust and plate tectonics; origins of the oceans and atmosphere, evolution of the atmosphere; molecular evolution, formation of organic molecules from inorganic molecules; cellular theory, origin of cells; prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells; evolution of cell organelles by symbiosis; photosynthesis and respiration; multi-cellular organisms; affects of life on the environment, transformation of the atmosphere; origin of rapid metabolism and ecosystem complexity; origin of skeletal systems and shells, fossilization; history of life of this planet based on fossil and other evidence (Cambrian period to present); and the pattern of evolution of life on Earth.
This class is unique in several ways. First, while most surveys of evolution tend to start with the oldest fossil evidence in a group, and follow the fossil history, this class traces life to its most fundamental components (atoms) and their origin (the origin of the Universe itself). Second, most classes about the evolution of life tend to reflect our anthropocentric (human-centered) bias and trace with greatest emphasis the origins of vertebrates, and ultimately, humans. This class will not emphasize why there is only one human species, but rather will emphasize why there are millions of insect species as compared with our one species. Thus, the coverage of evolutionary history of life will emphasize the diversification patterns of all living species, their effects on the environment, and the origins of ecosystem complexity. Topics covered in this section of the class will include: diversification of life in the oceans; origins of skeletal systems, segmentation, and functional body regions; formation of the ozone layer; colonization of the land by vascular plants and arthropods; development of terrestrial ecosystems and their co-evolution with insects; origins of 6-legged locomotion, flight, and metamorphosis; rise and fall of ancient gigantic insects, why they evolved and why they disappeared; mass extinctions; the influence of comet and meteor impacts, as well as plate tectonics, on living systems; what the insects and plants were doing in the shadow of the dinosaurs; evolution of flowering plants and co-evolution with insects; the origins of social insects and their influence on terrestrial ecosystem diversity; and the pattern of life in terrestrial tropical ecosystems (the most complex modern ecosystems).
Finally, this class is different in that the present day will not be taught as the ending point for 13 billion years of history. Rather, the present is simply where we are at now, as we move towards the future. In the last part of the class we will discuss two broad speculative issues. First, what have we learned about the pattern of life on this planet, and what does it suggest about life elsewhere in the Universe? Does life exist on other planets circling other stars? If so, how similar would it be to life on this planet? Are there plants and insects on other planets? Second, what does the future hold? Given all that we know about the past, what can we predict about the future? What will be the future of life on this planet? What will happen eventually with our planet, our Sun, our galaxy, and the entire Universe? Is the Universe open or closed? Will the Universe expand forever, will it run out of energy and just end, or will it contract again and start the whole process again in a cyclic fashion?
Teaching approach. This class develops from material and ideas that I�ve utilized in other classes including Insect Evolution, Biodiversity, Tropical Ecology, Insect Biology, Aquatic Insects, Insect Classification, and Cosmology of Insects. The class will follow a linear, sequential, chronological pattern, as described above. For each topic covered there will be an introductory lecture, followed by a short writing assignment, possibly a related homework assignment, and/or library research assignment, followed by in-depth discussion of the topic in the next class, leading into the following topic and lecture. Since the material builds on itself in a linear, logical fashion, attendance and in-class participation are crucial in this class.
Grading will be based on class participation, discussion, weekly writing assignments, and final research papers. As a final requirement there will be a longer research paper that synthesizes the class material and explores one of the historical topics or one of the speculative topics (mentioned above). �Field trips� may include visits to the geology museum, planetarium, botany conservatory, and insect museum.
Readings. Since this class is highly experimental, there really is not any one text, or even set of few books, that covers well all these topics in this fashion. I've selected some books for the class, which will be helpful, but we will be reading selected chapters, not the entire books. Instead the students will be assigned various reading assignments, some placed on reserve file or distributed in class, and perhaps others from selected relevant websites. The assigned readings will consist mostly of selected journal articles, or book chapters, relating to the topics of cosmology, astronomy, planetary science, atmospheric science, and evolutionary biology. In other cases, the students will need to conduct library research on the topic, locate, and critique relevant journal articles and books, both as homework assignments and for research papers.
Books:
A short history of the Universe, by Joseph Silk. 1997. Scientific American Library, New York. 246 pages, paperback. (required) Provides a good introduction to modern cosmology, from the Big Bang, through the formation of atoms, elements, stars, and galaxies.
Oxygen, the molecule that made the world, by Nick Lane. 2003. Oxford University Press, Oxford. 374 pages, paperback. (required) Provides some interesting, and sometimes provocative, readings. Selected mainly for its early chapters, which cover the early history of the evolution of life on Earth with an emphasis on the influence of atmospheric gases (especially oxygen levels). We will read chapters 1-8.
The dinosaur heresies, new theories unlocking the mystery of the dinosaurs and their extinction, by R.T Bakker. 1992. Zebra books, New York. 481 pages, paperback. (required) Provides stimulation reading about revised modern-thinking about the dinosaurs. We will read only selected chapters relating to life during the Mesozoic era.
The amber forest: a reconstruction of a vanished world, by George Poinar Jr. and Roberta Poinar. 1999. Princeton Paperbacks, Princeton, New Jersey. 239 pages, paperback. (recommended) Through the study of amber fossils, the authors provide a reconstruction of the complex tropical ecosystem that existed 15-45 million years ago on the island of Hispaniola, long before human influence.
Some Selected Relevant Readings:
Weinberg, S. 1994. Life in the universe. Scientific American (October 1994), pages 44-49.
Peebles, P.J.E., D.N. Schramm, E.L. Turner, and R. Kron. 1994. The evolution of the universe. Scientific American (October 1994), pages 53-57.
Kirshner, R. 1994. The Earth's elements. Scientific American (October 1994), pages 59-65.
Morrison, D. and T. Owen. 1988. The origin of planets (chapter 15). Pages 457-476, in: The planetary system. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, New York.
Allegre, C.J. and S.H. Schneider. 1994. The evolution of the Earth. Scientific American (October 1994), pages 66-72.
Taylor, G.J. 1994. The scientific legacy of Apollo. Scientific American (July 1994), pages 40-47.
Dalziel, W.D. 1995. Earth before Pangaea. Scientific American (January 1995), pages 58-63.
Rebek, J.Jr. 1994. Synthetic self-replicating molecules. Scientific American (July 1994), pages 48-55.
Orgel, L.E. 1994. The origin of life on the Earth. Scientific American (October 1994), pages 77-83.
Des Marais, D. 2000. When did photosynthesis emerge on Earth? Science, volume 289, 1703-1705.
Hoffman, P.F., A.J. Kaufman, G.P. Halverson, and D.P. Schrag. 1998. A Neoproterozoic snowball Earth. Science, volume 281, pages 1342-1346.
Gould, S.J. 1994. The evolution of life on the Earth. Scientific American (October 1994), pages 85-91.
Briggs, D.E.G. and R.A. Fortey. 1989. The early radiation and relationships of the major arthropod groups. Science, volume 246, pages 241-243.
Carpenter, F.M. and L. Burnham. 1985. The geological record of insects. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, volume 13, pages 297-314.
Dudley, R. 1998. Atmospheric oxygen, giant paleozoic insects and the evolution of aerial locomotor performance. Journal of Experimental Biology, volume 201, pages 1043-1050.
Wolbach, W.S., R.S. Lewis, E. Anders, C.J. Orth, and R.R. Brooks. 1988. Global fire at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary. Nature, volume 334, pages 665-669.
Sagan, C. 1994. The search for extraterrestrial life. Scientific American (October 1994), pages 93-99.