BIOL 5510 - Genes, Development, and Evolution

Understanding the molecular basis of evolutionary change is a fundamental challenge in biology. This course focuses on recent scientific literature in genetics and developmental biology to explore the mechanisms that impact evolutionary change. Topics concentrate on animal biology and include the molecular basis of diversity in body plans, limb development and evolution, genetics of pigmentation differences, and variation in other adaptive traits. We will also address how humans have shaped animal diversity through domestication. In some cases, the genes that control normal variation among species are also involved in human disease; therefore, studying the molecular mechanisms of diversity promises a greater understanding of human health. It is recommended (but not required) that BIOL 2030 is taken concurrently or completed prior to taking this course.