Description
Our understanding of the factors in inheritance has changed dramatically over the last 200 years. Science has gone from ideas such as preformation and blending, to sequencing the human genome, and investigating the workings of genes on the molecular level. In this class we will spend a little time looking at the history of scientific investigations on inheritance with special focus on Mendel’s work and its consequences. From there we will study chromosomes; their structure and function in inheritance. We also will examine genetics on the molecular level, highlighting the mechanics of gene-expression programs including transcription and translation. Finally, we will briefly examine the fields of genomics and bioinformatics. Spring.
Prerequisite; BIO 101