New Degree for Space Junkies

A British university has launched a three-year degree course to further the quest for life forms in the stars. The University of Glamorgan this week announced what it called Britain's first undergraduate course in astrobiology, the search for extraterrestrial life.

It quoted the recent flurry of interest over the possibility of finding life on Saturn's moon Titan as an example of how the search for life beyond Earth is a "major driving force" behind current space programmes.

About half-a-dozen people enrolled this week in the degree course, which will cover topics such as exploring the sky, vertebrate zoology, science and the media, and life in the universe, the university said. Course leader Professor Mark Brake said there is huge interest in the topic.

Nearly 100 people in the local community are studying aspects of the subject. Though the course will examine popular culture, including films such as ET, students will also study obscure texts, work in laboratories and conduct stargazing. "People's interest in quite serious and scientific sober issues is often sparked by popular culture," Brake said.