7.012 | Fall 2004 | Undergraduate

Introduction to Biology

Readings

Reading assignments include scientific articles, class handouts, online resources, and sections from the required text. Assignments for this course also used to include several readings from the MIT Biology Hypertextbook, but these have been removed as that site is no longer active. At this time there are no plans to re-present the materials.

Freeman, Scott. Biological Science. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002. ISBN: 9780130819239.

LEC # TOPICS READINGS
1 Introduction p. vi
Chapter 1
pp. 90-94
2 Biochemistry 1 Chapter 2
pp. 70-77
3-5 Biochemistry 2

Biochemistry 3

Biochemistry 4

Chapter 3
Chapter 6
6 Genetics 1 Chapter 10, pp. 194-201
7 Genetics 2 Chapter 10, pp. 201-214
8 Genetics 3 Chapter 8.2 (pp. 159-164) and pp. 176-191
9 Human Genetics Chapter 17.2, pp. 339-342
10 Molecular Biology 1 pp. 59-61, Chapter 11, 12
11 Molecular Biology 2 Chapter 13, pp. 252-259
  Quiz 1, Lectures 1-10  
12 Molecular Biology 3 Chapter 13, pp. 259-271, 244-246
13 Gene Regulation Chapter 14
14 Protein Localization Protein Trafficking. pp. 95-103
15-18 Recombinant DNA 1

Recombinant DNA 2

Recombinant DNA 3

Recombinant DNA 4

Spencer, Charlotte A. Genetic Testimony: A Guide to Forensic DNA Profiling. San Francisco, CA: Benjamin Cummings, 2003. ISBN: 9780131423381.
  Quiz 2, Lectures 11-17  
19 Cell Cycle/Signaling pp. 164-168, 864-867
20 Cancer Weinberg, R. A. “How Cancer Arises.” Sci Am. 275, no. 3 (September 1996): 62-70.

———. “Finding the Anti-oncogene.” Sci Am. 259, no. 3 (September 1988): 44-51.

21 Virology/Tumor Viruses Chapter 26, pp. 501-507
Viruses (PDF)
22-23 Immunology 1

Immunology 2

Chapter 46
Humoral Immunology (PDF)
24 AIDS Chapter 26.2, pp. 507-516
AIDS (PDF)
25 Genomics Lander, E. S., and R. A. Weinberg. “Genomics: Journey to the Center of Biology.” Science 287, no. 5459 (March 10, 2000): 1777-82.
  Quiz 3, Lectures 18-24  
26 Nervous System 1 Chapter 42, pp. 806-817
27 Nervous System 2 Chapter 42, pp. 817-822
28 Nervous System 3 Chapter 42, pp. 822-827
29-30 Stem Cells/Cloning 1

Stem Cells/Cloning 2

pp. 346, 406-407, 364-367
Essay on p. 826
Growth and Differentiation, a Case of Hematopoiesis (PDF)
31 Molecular Medicine 1 NCI Gleevec Article
pp. 330
32 Molecular Evolution Genetics and Geneology, Why Y?
The Family Lemba (PBS Nova)
The Family Cohanim (PBS Nova)
Did Thomas Jefferson Father Slave Children? (PBS Nova)
33 Molecular Medicine 2 Essay: pp. 782-783
The Cholesterol Quartet
Familial Hypercholesterolemia
34 Human Polymorphisms and Cancer Classification  
35 Future of Biology  

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