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During the Spring 2016 Planets Life and the Universe Seminar, we will read and discuss classic papers and (later in the semester) frontier research on the fundamental issues concerning the Origin of Life on our planet Earth and Exoplanets in general. The recent Kepler mission has now shown that there are typical earth-like planets around every typical star in the Universe-- giving almost Avagadro‘s number of earthlike planets in our Universe. The study of Life in the Universe consequently becomes an observational science. The intellectual framework underpinning these endeavors becomes one of the central intellectual issues of our age (possibly any age!). We will have relaxed and enjoyable discussions of these topics on Friday afternoons. At times mathematical and physics based fluency will be useful. Recommended Course Background: AS.171.333/AS.171.699 or AS.020.334/AS.020.616