Molecular Biogeochemistry
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this graduate-level course on molecular biosignatures, the chemical traces organisms leave in rocks and sediments. Lectures cover lipid biosynthesis pathways, how those pathways vary across phylogeny and physiology, isotopic signatures, and how lipids occur in modern organisms and environments. The course traces diagenetic pathways showing how these molecules change over time and become molecular fossils preserved through the geological record, along with the analytical techniques used to detect them. Students read and analyze recent primary literature on chemical fossils, building the skills needed to evaluate biosignature research directly. Basic organic chemistry knowledge is required going in. Graduate-level students complete additional assignments beyond the standard coursework. Materials include lecture notes and readings, free to access under MIT's open license, with no certificate offered.