Spring 2021
Biology B
Second 1/2 of BIOA/B (If you missed BIO A, Go Here First unless Dr. LW said otherwise)
IPAK EDU
BIOB
Instructor: James Lyons-Weiler, PhD
Topic 1. Reading Gene
Sequences: PCR and DNA Variation Analysis
We and other organisms employ polymerase to make copies of DNA. Humans have
managed to reproduce this process in the test tube to produce millions of
copies of specific, targeted DNA sequences. This process is essential for
understanding the genetic basis of disease, how genomes work, and how species
are related to each other. In this section, we’ll review how PCR works; how we
sequence RNA viral genomes and look at some fascinating aspects of microbial
biology revealed by sequence analysis. We’ll analyze a few sequences ourselves
using some of the tools of Bioinformatics.
Concepts: Polymerase Chain
Reaction; Reverse Transcript PCR; Microbial Point of Origin; GC-Skew, Intro to
Bioinformatics
Concepts: Biotechnology, PCR, RT-PCR, Bioinformatics (DNA Sequence Analysis),
BLAST Algorithm
Topic 2. Gas and Fluid
Transport
Oxygen and carbon dioxide transport across membranes and throughout the
circulatory systems and organs. Other dissolved gases. Oxygen and wellness.
Carbon dioxide toxicity. Carbon monoxide poisoning. Dissolved nutrients.
Concepts:
Circulation, transport, gas exchange.
The fluids in our body
transport gases and our circulatory system transports fluids, cells and signaling
molecules.
What happens when things go wrong. Relevance to society today.
Coagulopathy
Topic
3. Neurobiology
Simple nervous systems exist that pulse information across a simple net. More
complex nervous systems result from diversification of nerve cells and their
relatives and specialization of function. Some spectacular feats of development
place the parts of the developing nervous system in the right place - at the
right time. We’ll explore the central nervous system (CNS) and the autonomous
nervous system (ANS). How do nerve cells communicate? What is a thought? What
is a memory?
Concepts: The biological and
electrochemical basis of nerve transmission, general human nervous system
anatomy, memories, thoughts, knowledge, consciousness.
Ok, so we might not define
once and for all consciousness. Or
thoughts. Or memories. But we’ll have a look at the Central Nervous System
and the Autonomic Nervous System.
What happens when things go wrong. Relevance to society today.
Topic 4. Hormones: The Symphony
of the Glands
Our bodies speak to themselves, with one part telling another part “it’s time
to wake up”; “it’s time to go to sleep”; “it’s time to make sperm”; “it’s time
to make milk”. These signals are part of our endocrine system - and we hardly
realize when these signals get passed and are received. Scare someone, they will
feel an adrenaline rush. Love someone, they feel endorphins. As organisms, we
respond to these signals most naturally. Making sense of us requires more than
understanding anatomy, where organs are located, and how neurons work. It
requires an appreciation for the waves of states of being that pass through us,
and make us and other animals (we presume) feel a certain way. Hormones are
essential for brain function, sexual development, falling in love, and of
course human reproduction cycles. What happens when things go wrong.
Relevance to society today.
Concepts: Hormones.
Cell-to-cell signaling. Receptors.
Topic
5. The Human Immune System
The mammalian innate and adaptive immune systems are remarkable feats of
evolutionary engineering. We’ll learn how the body reacts to initial
infections, and how it learns to produce antibodies that can match just about
any foreign antigen. Innate immunity. The immune system of the brain. We’ll
look at common types of autoimmunity and study specific mechanisms of how and
why an immune system can even turn on itself.
What happens when things go wrong. Relevance to society today.
Topic
6. Principals of Evolution
Given a set of conditions, evolution will happen. Genetic variation. Heritability. Relevance to survival and reproduction. Limits of evolution. The role of population size on drift. Natural selection.
I’ll give a special presentation on the Realms of Evolution and how human cognitive plasticity is about the generate two new realms of evolution The future of humans and our planet may ultimately depend on whether we choose to create these two new realms.
Topic 7 Modeling Evolution
Students sometimes perceive evolutionary processes better using simulations to show the effects of mutation, drift and selection.
Topic 8 Protists
They are small- but they are everywhere and vastly outnumber all other Eukaryotes. We’ll focus on types, yes, but also on how these organisms make a living. Origins and diversification of Eukaryotes.
Topic 9 Plants
Understanding life on earth is impossible without understanding the history of the evolution of plants. How did they invade land? How did they effect earth’s atmosphere and the evolution of animals? How have they diversified? When did the first flower bloom? How do they reproduce? How do plants evade predation? Symbioses.
Topic 10 Fungi
The cellular biology and reproduction cycles of fungi are unusual. They may be the largest organisms to ever have lived. How do they make their living? How have they diversified? How do they reproduce? Symbioses.
Topic 11 Animals (Invertebrates)
The Invertebrates are tough crowd – they are among the oldest surviving lineages of animals on the planet. How have they diversified? How do they make their living? How do they reproduce? Some are essential to the survival of humans. Their history is the history of the Animal kingdom.
Topic 12 Animals (Vertebrates)
Evolutionary newcomers, the vertebrates are invertebrates with a few add-ons. How did they diversify? How to they make their living? How do they reproduce? Symbioses.
Topic 13 Ecological Processes
Competition or collaboration? Each species has a niche. It is role to play, or an occupation? Or neither? Principal of competitive exclusion. Predator/Prey relationships. Patterns of diversity.
Topic 14 Modeling Ecological Processes
Simulations sometimes help students understand ecological dynamics. Systems dynamics, chaos theory, fractal processes like risk recombination and disturbance all play an underappreciated roles in the outcome of ecological processes.
Topic 15 Humans in Their Environment
Can you think of your own species as a species in its environment? What characteristics make humans successful? Are we too successful? What attributes do we seem to lack that might help make us better stewards of Planet Earth?
Recommended Books
Campbell Biology Ed 11 (or earlier)
Recommended
Readings/Videos
You will receive recommended readings associated with each lecture. Please try
to read these before the lecture.