These web links point to sites that may be useful in illustrating and demonstrating some of the concepts we discuss in class. Luke Keller does not maintain these sites, nor is he responsible for their content. Please report broken links and suggest new links.
Scale of the universe (quarks to galaxies and beyond)
Exploring Origins (of life on Earth)
Inner Life of the Cell (video)
The line between life and not life (TED talk by biochemist Martin Hancyzc)
Molecules, Cells, and Galaxies: the Nature of Science is an introductory survey of contemporary natural science–primarily biology, chemistry, geology, and physics though others may creep into our discussions–focussing on the methods that scientists use to learn about nature, the relationships between science and technological advances, the nature of scientific work and knowledge, and a summary of the basic results and conclusions of scientific investigations past and present. Students in this course will develop and enrich their understanding of the physical basis of the natural sciences and associated technology, as well as the methods that scientists use to study physical and natural phenomena. Students will develop an understanding of some basic scientific principles and an appreciation for the relevance of science to society and will also develop an understanding of the methods the natural sciences use to study the physical world through observation, experimentation, evaluation of data, and development and testing of hypotheses. There is no formal laboratory component to this course, but we will be conducting simple observations and experiments periodically during class meetings to demonstrate concepts and/or initiate discussions. This is an introductory course that does not assume a science and mathematics background.