Introductory Biology

Calendar

LEC #	TOPICS	KEY DATES
1	Welcome; Introduction and course organization
2	Chemical bonding and molecular interactions; Lipids and membranes
3	Structures of amino acids, peptides and proteins
4	Enzymes and metabolism
5	Carbohydrates and glycoproteins	Problem set 1 due
6	Nucleic acids
7	Replication
8	Transcription
9	Chromatin remodeling and splicing
10	Translation	Problem set 2 due
11	Cells, the simplest functional units
Exam 1 (Covering Lectures 1–10)
12	Genetics 1—Cell division and segregating genetic material
13	Genetics 2—Rules of inheritance
14	Genetics 3—Linkage, crossing over	Problem set 3 due
15	Genetics 4—The power of model organisms in biological discovery
16	Recombinant DNA, cloning, and editing
17	Genomes and DNA sequencing
18	SNPs and human genetics	Problem set 4 due
Exam 2 (Covering Lectures 11–17)
19	Cell trafficking and protein localization
20	Cell signaling 1—Overview
21	Cell signaling 2—Examples
22	Neurons, action potential, and optogenetics
23	Cell cycle and checkpoints
24	Stem cells, apoptosis, and tissue homeostasis
25	Cancer 1	Problem set 5 due
26	Cancer 2
Exam 3 (Covering Lectures 18–25)
27	Visualizing life—Dyes and stains
28	Visualizing life—Fluorescent proteins
29	Cell imaging techniques
30	Immunology 1—Diversity, specificity, and B cells
31	Immunology 2—Memory, T cells, and autoimmunity	News brief proposal due
32	Infectious disease, viruses, and bacteria
33	Bacteria and antibiotic resistance
34	Viruses and anti-viral resistance	Problem set due
35	Reproductive cloning and embryonic stem cells
36	“In the news”
Final Exam (Covering Lectures 1–36)