ASSOCIATION STUDIES|COMPLEX TRAITS|DISEASE GENES|GENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY|HUMAN EVOLUTION|POPULATIO

Human Genetics has undergone a tremendous expansion in recent years, in no small measure due to a wide- ranging technological revolution. Results from this...

Ecology is the study of the factors affecting the distribution and abundance of individuals and species in the natural environment. In this module, we will...

Fundamentals of Biology is designed to introduce students with a primary interest in whole organism biology (including Genetics, Human Genetics, Zoology,...

Fundamentals of Biology is designed to introduce students with a primary interest in whole organism biology (including Genetics, Human Genetics, Zoology, Biodiversity and Conservation) to fundamental chemical principles and experimental approaches to studying how they underpin living systems. If you have already completed A level Chemistry or equivalent, the module will provide you with the opportunity to apply your knowledge in a specifically biological framework.

Each section of the module will introduce you to a specific topic in biology before going on to explore the underlying chemical principles. As well as lectures you will attend workshops that will develop your ability to read research papers critically and small-group tutorials to go through chemistry problems and support your practical work.

Learning Objectives

After taking this module you will be able to:

Understand the relevance of basic chemical principles to diverse aspects of biology
	Retrieve and select relevant information from the scientific literature
	Work independently and as part of a team to design experiments that address a specific research question
	Present ideas and data clearly in a variety of formats
Indicative lecture topics – based on module content in 2021-22

Biology and water

Water, climate change and ecosystem evolution
	Chemistry of Water
	Extremophiles
	Thermodynamics of Water
	Coral reef biology and ocean acidification
	Chemistry of ocean acidification
Biology and colour

Visual signalling: sex, food and status
	Plant and animal pigments
	Quantum mechanics and the colour of atoms
	Molecular orbitals and UV-visible spectroscopy
	Fluorescence and phosphorescence
	Vibration and spin: IR and NMR spectroscopy
Biology and ageing

Comparative biology of ageing: model systems
	Cellular ageing: damage and maintenance
	Entropy and enthalpy and free energy
	Bioenergetics
	Metabolism and ageing
	Molecular damage and maintenance