BIOL 111 - Fundamentals of Biology

FDR: SL: BIOL 113 is a corequisite for students seeking laboratory science credits.
Credits: 3

Corequisite: BIOL 113. Prerequisite: CHEM 110 for first-years during initial winter registration (FY’s who did not take CHEM 110 in the fall should contact Bill Hamilton for consent). Limited seating available for sophomores, juniors and seniors. Interested upper-division students should contact Bill Hamilton, in the Biology department, for consent as soon as the class schedule is available and before registration begins. Suitable for First-Years interested in pursuing a major in biology, neuroscience or environmental studies or the pre-health curriculum. During pick one you must choose a lecture (BIOL 111) and a lab section (BIOL 113). Securing a lab section (BIOL 113) only does not save a space in a lecture section (BIOL 111). An intensive investigation of scientific thought and communication applied to topics that vary among sections and terms. Specific subjects, chosen from within the scope of modern biological investigation according to the expertise of individual instructors, are examined in the context of major concepts such as evolution, regulation, growth, and metabolism. This course, and its companion laboratory, are prerequisites for all higher level biology courses.

Winter 2018, BIOL 111-01: Fundamentals of Biology: Evolutionary Medicine (3) Corequisite: BIOL 113. An intensive investigation of scientific thought and communication, examined in the context of major concepts such as evolution, ecology, physiology, population dynamics, and biochemistry. This course examines underlying principles of evolution and genetics as applied to human health and medicine. Specific topics include how clonal evolution gives rise to antibiotic resistance and cancer progression, how population genetics can explain exceptionally high rates of heritable diseases like cystic fibrosis or sickle cell anemia, and the possibility that the recent rise of asthma and type II diabetes may result from a mismatch between the environments experienced by humans for hundreds of generations versus the modern environment. Ayoub.

Winter 2018, Biology 111-02: Fundamentals of Biology: My Own Personal Genome (3). Corequisite: BIOL 113. All students will be required to submit samples to the personal genetic testing company 23andMe, which is done as a group during the first week of class. Cost of testing is covered by a course fee of $105. An intensive investigation of scientific thought and communication, examined in the context of major concepts such as evolution, regulation, growth, and metabolism. The explosive growth of genetics and genomics offers unprecedented possibilities for investigating and understanding our own genomes. In medicine and health, are we entering an age of “personal genomics”? What can we learn about our own characteristics and health risks? Students explore the basics of molecular genetics, and use this foundation to better understand personal genomic data. Students examine their own data during the term. Laboratory fee. (SL: BIOL 113 is a co-requisite for students seeking laboratory science credits.) Cabe.

Winter 2018, BIOL 111-03: Fundamentals of Biology: Diversity of Life (3). Corequisite: BIOL 113. An intensive investigation of scientific thought and communication, examined in the context of major concepts such as evolution, regulation, growth, and metabolism. Biologists use the word diversity, or biodiversity, to describe the variety of life forms in nature. This section is concerned with three major questions about biological diversity on earth: (1) how did it come to be? (2) what is its present condition? (3) what is its future? We cover physiological adaptations, genetic sources of diversity, evolutionary and ecological processes, anthropogenic threats to biodiversity, and conservation. (SL: BIOL 113 is a co-requisite for students seeking laboratory science credits.) Hurd.

Winter 2018, BIOL 111-04: Fundamentals of Biology: Biological Rhythms (3). Corequisite: BIOL 113. An intensive investigation of scientific thought and communication, examined in the context of major concepts such as evolution, ecology, physiology, population dynamics, and biochemistry. From cell division to bird migration, clocklike rhythms control the activities of every living organism. In this section, we investigate recent advances in chronobiology, the area of biology that studies internal biological clocks. Our topics include the measurement of rhythmic activity, the molecular mechanisms underlying daily rhythms, and the integration of internal and environmental rhythms in complex physiological processes, such as the sleep and reproductive cycles. Toporikova.

Fall 2017, BIOL 111-01: Fundamentals of Biology: Addiction & Drugs of Abuse (3). Corequisite: BIOL 113. An intensive investigation of scientific thought and communication, examined in the context of major concepts such as ecology, physiology, population dynamics, and biochemistry. This course utilizes addiction as a model for understanding the basic principles of cell biology, anatomy, physiology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and genetics. Students gain an appreciation for the biological basis of addiction, as well as the complexity of the body-drug interactions. Students also learn to search and read primary literature, understand the fundamentals of experimental design, and discuss topics related to addiction and drugs. (SL: BIOL 113 is a co-requisite for students seeking laboratory science credits.) Blythe.

Fall 2017, BIOL 111-02: Fundamentals of Biology: Yellowstone Ecology (3). Corequisite: BIOL 113. An intensive investigation of scientific thought and communication, examined in the context of major concepts such as ecology, physiology, population dynamics, and biochemistry. From cells to satellite data and bacteria and bears, this course investigates multiple biological levels of organization using the world’s first national park as a case study. (SL: BIOL 113 is a co-requisite for students seeking laboratory science credits.) Hamilton.

Fall 2017, BIOL 111-03: Fundamentals of Biology: Diversity of Life (3). Corequisite: BIOL 113. An intensive investigation of scientific thought and communication, examined in the context of major concepts such as evolution, regulation, growth, and metabolism. Biologists use the word diversity, or biodiversity, to describe the variety of life forms in nature. This section is concerned with three major questions about biological diversity on earth: (1) how did it come to be? (2) what is its present condition? (3) what is its future? We cover physiological adaptations, genetic sources of diversity, evolutionary and ecological processes, anthropogenic threats to biodiversity, and conservation. (SL: BIOL 113 is a co-requisite for students seeking laboratory science credits.) Hurd.

Fall 2017, BIOL 111-04: Fundamentals of Biology: Bacterial Genetics (3). Corequisite: BIOL 113. An intensive investigation of scientific thought and communication, examined in the context of major concepts such as evolution, regulation, growth, and metabolism. This section is an introduction to the genes and the mechanisms of gene expression by bacterial cells. It focuses on the current issues of bacterial infections in humans, for example: virulence, antibiotic resistance, or emerging diseases. (SL: BIOL 113 is a co-requisite for students seeking laboratory science credits.) Simurda.