This is an archived course. A more recent version may be available at ocw.mit.edu.
Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session
This course introduces parallel evolution of life and the environment. Life processes are influenced by chemical and physical processes in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere and the solid earth. In turn, life can influence chemical and physical processes on our planet. This course introduces the concept of life as a geological agent and examines the interaction between biology and the earth system during the roughly four billion years since life first appeared.
| ACTIVITIES | PERCENTAGES |
|---|---|
| Participation in class discussions | 15% |
| Problem sets/assignments | 20% |
| Weekly quizzes | 15% |
| Final blog piece | 20% |
| Midterm exam | 15% |
| Final exam | 15% |
Stanley, Steven M. Earth System History. New York, NY: W. H. Freeman & Co., 2006. ISBN: 9781429233491.
Kump, Lee R., James F. Kasting, and Robert G. Crane. The Earth System. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003. ISBN: 9780131420595.
Madigan, Martinko, and F. Parker. Brock Biology of Microorganisms. California, US: Benjamin Cummings, 2008. ISBN: 9780132324601.
Morel, M. M., and J. Hering. Principles and Applications of Aquatic Chemistry. NewYork, NY: Wiley-Interscience, 1993. ISBN: 9780471548966.
Wills, Christopher, and Jeffrey Bada. The Spark of Life. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing, 2000. ISBN: 9780738201962.
Cesare, Emiliani. Planet Earth: Cosmology, Geology and the Evolution of Life and Environment. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1992. ISBN: 9780521409490.
Broecker, Wallace S. How to Build a Habitable Planet. New York, NY: Eldigio Press, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, 1985 (3rd printing 1998). ISBN: 9780961751111.
Additional readings provided for some lectures.
| LEC # | TOPICS | KEY DATES |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Overview of course; what is life? The history of paleontology geochronology | |
| 2 | Formation of matter; time scales of major events in formation of the Universe and Solar System; abundance of elements. Geochronology; introduction to geological processes, rocks and minerals. Planetary accretion and differentiation. Plate tectonics; stratigraphy. Isostasy | Problem set 1 due |
| 3 | Sedimentary environments; water and life; habitable zone; radiative balance; greenhouse gases. Faint Young Sun | |
| 4 | Prebiotic chemistry, nucleic acids, origin of life, panspermia | |
| 5 | Cell structure; chemiosmotic theory; transcription, translation; mutation. Molecular evolution. Discussion of Woese paper | |
| 6 | Aquatic chemistry. Redox chemistry. Energy yield of redox processes | |
| 7 | Isotopes; isotopic nomenclature; definition of atm%, ratio, α, δ, ε; how to do simple isotopic calculations including mass balance; CHNOS standards, what they are and the forms that are prepared for analysis; what processes cause isotopic fractionation including C, H and N in OM and C and O in limestones; S in pyrite and sulfate; ballpark δ values of C, O, S in main reservoirs and biomass | Problem set 2 due 1 day before Lec #7 |
| 8 | Redox processes, eH/pH diagrams, examples from various environments | |
| 9 | Anoxygenic and oxygenic photosynthesis. Pigments. Carbon fixation. Nitrogen fixation. Nutrient acquisition. Microbes and minerals. Anaerobic metabolisms. Carbon and nitrogen fixation | Problem set 3 and 4 due |
| 10 | Evidence for early life on Earth; stromatolites; microfossils. Microbial sediments | |
| 11 | Geological evidence of photosynthesis and oxygenation. Early atmosphere. Oxygenation of the ocean/atmosphere system. Snowball Earth | |
| 12 | More about fractionated isotopes; how H&O are fractionated in the hydrological cycle; how (roughly) C&H fractionation occurs in lipids. Biogeochemical carbon cycle | |
| Midterm exam | ||
| 13 | Biomineralization; ediacaran fauna. Evidence of early animals and plants. Animal body plans. Sponges | Problem set 5 due 2 days before Lec #13 |
| 14 | Evolution and radiation of photosynthetic organisms | Deadline to decide on the problem to write about for the final blog piece |
| 15 | Evolution and radiation of animals (Guest lecturer Charles Marshall) | |
| 16 | Reefs and carbonate precipitation through time | |
| 17 | Paleozoic time | |
| 18 | Mass extinctions | |
| 19 | Mesozoic time. Geology and biology. K-T boundary, LPTM. Volcanism, carbon cycle perturbation or impact? | |
| 20 | Fossil fuels. Fate of buried organic carbon; petroleum and natural gas occurrence and distribution. Methane hydrates. Holocene climate; abrupt climate change; anthropogenic forcing of climate | |
| 21 | Climate oscillations throughout Earth history | |
| 22 | Molecular microbiology and paleontology. PCR, genomics, trees. Modern microbially-dominated ecosystems | |
| 23 | Student presentations | |
| 24 | Final exam |
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