Rosana Zenil-Ferguson

Assistant Professor. University of Kentucky

Biology 171 Spring 2020 online lectures

Questions about course content

Post your questions in this Google doc

General questions addressed with the switch online due to Covid-19 link

The reality of moving online and having to record videos link

Updated Syllabus

Can be found here

03/24/2020 Mendelian Genetics

Created by Tom Iwanicki and Rosana Zenil-Ferguson

“Merely memorizing Mendel’s crosses and ratios is missing the beauty of his work” - Dr. Shirley Tilghman.

Our expectation for this week:

  1. You should invest a total of 70 minutes reading, watching videos, and answering some key questions about what you are reading and seeing. This is equivalent to in-class lecture and processing of information.
  2. Independent study (approximately 1 hour) clarifying what you could not answer from above. Additional help is available at office hours during regularly scheduled lecture time (12-1:10PM, Tuesday and Thursdays).

Activities

A. Read The Laws of Inheritance: A Journey from Mendel’s Abbey to Iceland by Shirley Tilghman (25 minutes) link

B. Answer the ‘Explorer’s Questions’ in the reading (15 minutes)

C. Use the following critical thinking questions to guide your reading and comprehension of key concepts (30 minutes):

  1. Review and define the concepts: cross, trait, allele, genotype, phenotype, parental generation, F1, F2, dominant, recessive, homozygous, heterozygous, true breeding. How do they relate to each other? (Difficulty: Medium)
  2. Mendel made a major impact on science and humanity, but his journey was a rather unusual one. What surprised you the most about Mendel as a person? (Difficulty: Easy)
  3. Which are some of the basic traits of peas and why did Mendel choose to study such traits? (Difficulty: Medium)
  4. What is the main property of a “law” in science? (Difficulty: Easy)
  5. Are Mendelian laws of inheritance always true? How so? (Difficulty: Medium)
  6. Figure 3 from the reading has the results of the first series of crosses. Why is this result interesting? How do you explain these results with Punnett squares? (Difficulty: Medium)
  7. Figure 4 has the results of the second series of crosses. What are the main differences with Figure 3? (Difficulty: Medium)
  8. How many alleles are needed to understand the law of independent assortment (independent segregation of traits in the reading)? Hint: Think about the number of traits first. (Difficulty: Medium)
  9. In Figure 5. There is a diagram of alleles for tall plants and how they are being passed to the next generation. How does this diagram relate to meiosis? (Difficulty: Hard)
  10. In Figure 6a. How do you explain the values of the rows and the columns (the pollen and the ovules listed there) of the Punnett square? (Difficulty: Hard)
  11. When does the 9:3:3:1 ratio hold? When this ratio doesn’t hold?- Hint: think about chromosomes and meiosis (Difficulty: Medium)
  12. What is a multigenic trait? Do they obey Mendelian rules? (Difficulty: Medium)
  13. Amongst humans, how does our DNA differ? (Difficulty: Easy)
  14. What is GWAS and why is it important? (Difficulty: Easy)

D. To help self study and the lab (1hr) Practice problems of Punnett squares from the lab, OpenStax books and from this link Bioman Website quizzes instructions are to understand the very basic concepts

  1. Click on the link
  2. Write your name and click start my quiz
  3. Click and it will give you feedback whether you are right or wrong.

03/31/2020. Review: Central Dogma of Genetics

Quiz on DNA duplication due on April 1st, 1:10 pm HST

PackBack homework due on March 31st, 12:00 pm HST

  1. Meselson-Stahl experiment link
  2. DNA duplication. Separation of the double strand link, copying DNA link
  3. Transcription video link
  4. Translation video link

04/02/2020. Review: Mendelian Genetics

Quiz on Transcription and translation due on April 3rd, 1:10 pm HST

  1. Mendel and his pea plant link
  2. Punnett squares and probability link

04/07/2020. Introduction to Evolution

Quiz on Meiosis, Mitosis, and Mendelian Genetics due on April 8th, 1:10 pm HST

PackBack homework due on April 7th, 12 pm HST

Created by Ed McAssey

Our expectation for this week:

  1. You should invest a total of 70 minutes reading, watching videos, and answering some key questions about what you are reading and seeing. This is equivalent to in-class lecture and processing of information.
  2. Independent study (approximately 1 hour) clarifying what you could not answer from above. Additional help is available at office hours during regularly scheduled lecture time (12-1:10PM, Tuesday and Thursdays).

Activities

A. Watch - Intro to Evolution video. Link 19 mins

B. Read from your OpenStax book - Chapter 19, Section 1

C. Read - Nature News piece on Hawaiian crickets here 15 mins

D. Watch – Dr. McAssey’s recording that summarizes this reading. Link

E. Watch - Darwin’s bio. Link 9 mins

F. Watch - Natural selection in an outbreak – describes various aspects of the recent Ebola outbreak. Link G. Watch – Dr. McAssey’s review video. Link

Self study

Answer - Review Questions (25 mins):

  1. What three conditions are required for Evolution by Natural selection? (Easy)
  2. Review the peppered moth example from the iBiology video. What trait variation was discussed in this section? Was it heritable? (Easy)
  3. Evolution is always a slow process. Describe two examples from today’s lecture resources that discredit that statement. (Medium)
  4. If your friend was on antibiotics but is starting to feel better, why should that friend continue to take the antibiotic? Answer this question using terms like mutation, variation, and selection. (Easy)
  5. Why are geographic barriers important in developing new species? The example from the video descries a flood that separated squirrels from each other. Describe how you think species colonized Hawaii and why these vary from their mainland counterparts. FYI: we will learn more about these processes in the remaining lectures. (Hard)
  6. We don’t have access to genealogical records for natural species, so we need to use pieces of evidence to document evolutionary change. Describe three categories of evidence for evolutionary change. (Easy)
  7. What observations from Darwin’s travels do you think were most important in establishing his mechanistic understanding of evolution? (Easy)
  8. How does the Ebola virus achieve an increased ability to be infectious? (Medium)
  9. Why did geology help Darwin think about evolution? (Medium)
  10. What trait variation in finches most intrigued Darwin? Why? (Easy)
  11. How is the variation required by evolution generated? Is it random or generated in response to a challenge? (Medium)
  12. Come up with an example of convergent evolution that is not from the book. (Hard)
  13. How does a cricket chirping affect the fitness of an individual? (Medium)

04/09/2020. Evolution of Populations

Our expectation for this week:

  1. You should invest a total of 70 minutes reading, watching videos, and answering some key questions about what you are reading and seeing. This is equivalent to in-class lecture and processing of information.
  2. Independent study (approximately 1 hour) clarifying what you could not answer from above. Additional help is available at office hours during regularly scheduled lecture time (12-1:10PM, Tuesday and Thursdays).

Activities

A. Watch - Hardy- Weinberg equilibrium. Link 10 mins

B. Read from your OpenStax book: Chapter 20, Sections 1-3

C. Watch – Dr. McAssey’s additional practice problems regarding allele and genotype frequency calculations. Link

D. Complete - Hardy-Weinberg problems (10 minutes): Powerpoint posted on Laulima and available here

E. Watch - Genetic drift, founder effect, bottlenecks in lego people. Link 3 mins

F. Watch – Dr. McAssey’s jelly bean video on population size. Link

G. Read - Assortative mating in humans (5 min read). Link. Consider this in light of the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium assumptions described in the iBiology video (#1 from this outline)

H. Watch - Bacterial evolution in real time.Link. From last April 7 questions: is evolution always slow?

I. Watch – Dr. McAssey’s short video on different types of selection. Link

Self study

List of review Q’s (25 min - approx). Join in office hours and we can help you with these questions!

  1. There are three alleles in a population. If allele A has a frequency of 0.4 and allele B has a frequency of 0.25, what is the frequency of allele C? (easy)
  2. List out the five requirements for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. (medium)
  3. If a population is undergoing evolution, what is happening to its allele frequencies between generations? (easy)
  4. A population of 1000 individuals that is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium has allele frequencies of: P = 0.3 and Q = 0.7? How many heterozygotes should be present? (hard)
  5. Genetic drift would play a greater role in affecting allele frequencies in which of the following populations: an island population containing 14 individuals or a population in California containing 689 individuals? (easy)
  6. Find a real-life example of a genetic bottleneck that was not mentioned in the lecture resources. (medium)
  7. The article concerning assortative mating deals with which of the five conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium? Can you think of an example of assortative mating that occurs in species other than humans? (hard)
  8. In the video about antibiotic resistance, which assumption of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was violated so that species could evolve? (easy)
  9. Plants can violate Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium due to migration/gene-flow. How is this possible? (medium)
  10. Describe the difference between absolute and relative fitness. (medium)
  11. If an environment remains constant, which type of selection is most likely occurring: stabilizing, directional, or disruptive? (easy)
  12. Describe an environment that could result in disruptive selection. (medium)
  13. Sexual selection is selection to obtain a mate (like a peacock’s feather display). Why are sexually selected traits not always advantageous for individuals? (medium)

04/09/2020. Review for Evolution

A video reviewing some of the key questions posted for the first week of Evolution topics. Dr. Ed McAssey discusses key points of the self-study guide in this link

04/14/2020. Formation of Species (Speciation)

Quiz on Intro to Evolution and Evolution of Populations- Due at 1:10 pm HST on April 15th. Once started you will have 45 minutes to finish

PackBack on evolution due on April 14th at 12:00 pm HST

Our expectation for this week:

  1. You should invest a total of 70 minutes reading, watching videos, and answering some key questions about what you are reading and seeing. This is equivalent to in-class lecture and processing of information.
  2. Independent study (approximately 1 hour) clarifying what you could not answer from above. Additional help is available at office hours during regularly scheduled lecture time (12-1:10PM, Tuesday and Thursdays).

Activities- Dr. Ed McAssey

A. Watch - HHMI Peter and Rosemary Grant Finches in the Galapagos. Link (16 minutes)

B. Watch - Speciation video from Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Link (8 minutes)

C. Read - UC Berkeley website on speciation. Link (10 mins). Look over the following sections

  • Defining a species
  • Defining speciation
  • Causes of speciation
  • Reproductive isolation
  • Evidence for speciation

D. Watch – Dr. McAssey’s video on reproductive isolation. Link

Read - Assigned reading: Chapter 19, Sections 2 and 3

E. Watch – Dr. McAssey’s video on speciation. Link

F. Apply - Series of interactive pages on Speciation (Do the Fuschia example (topic 2) [Link] (https://ats.doit.wisc.edu/biology/ev/sp/sp.htm). This website allows you to apply the concepts that you have learned in the other resources

G. Read - Nature News and Views piece on Darwin’s finches. Link

Self study

  1. Species A flowers from August to October and Species B flowers from March to June. What sort of isolating barrier exists? Is it pre- or post- zygotic? (easy)

  2. A population of lizards is colored blue and lives near a wetland. A different population of lizards is colored yellow and lives in a drier scrub area. When the two species are found in the same area they mate with one another. Can you say conclusively that these two populations represent the same species? Why or why not? (medium)

  3. What is the difference between dispersal and vicariance-based allopatric speciation? Which of these terms applies to species that arrived in Hawai’i? (medium)

  4. What key feature of a location would allow for an adaptive radiation to take place? What were some examples of adaptive radiations from today’s resources? (easy)

  5. Populations A and B have been isolated from each other for 200 generations. Populations A and C have been isolated from each other for 1000 generations. Based on time alone, which two populations are more likely to have become separate species? (medium)

  6. Define sympatric speciation. Why might it be difficult to develop reproductive isolation in sympatry? (medium)

  7. How did dry and wet seasons in the Galapagos in the 1970’s and 80’s allow researchers to understand evolutionary change in finch species? (medium)

  8. In the April 9th material we looked at different types of selection. What type of selection did Peter and Rosemary Grant observe in the Galapagos during the drought? (easy)

  9. The first graph depicts the variation in beak depth before the drought on the Galapagos. Draw the distribution after the drought. Then draw the distribution after the subsequent wet season (see graphs in the attachment)

  10. Describe an example of behavioral reproductive isolation not mentioned in today’s materials. (easy)

  11. Two populations of ant have been isolated for 500 generations on opposite sides of a river. Your lab partner has already concluded that the two populations have no pre-zygotic isolation. Devise an experiment to test whether there is any post-zygotic isolation. (hard)

  12. Describe how polyploidy could result in speciation. Would this form of speciation be considered allopatric or sympatric? (medium)

04/16/2020. Phylogenetic Trees

PackBack on speciation due on April 21st at 12:00 pm HST

Our expectation for this week:

  1. You should invest a total of 70 minutes reading, watching videos, and answering some key questions about what you are reading and seeing. This is equivalent to in-class lecture and processing of information.
  2. Independent study (approximately 1 hour) clarifying what you could not answer from above. Additional help is available at office hours during regularly scheduled lecture time (12-1:10PM, Tuesday and Thursdays).

Activities- Dr. Ed McAssey

A. Read – The tree thinking challenge. Link (10 mins)

B. Watch – Dr. McAssey’s introduction to phylogenetics video.Link

C. Watch – Dr. McAssey’s video on phylogeny building and analysis. Link

D. Complete – the practice quiz associated with ‘The tree thinking challenge’ (20 mins)

  • I encourage you to review your readings and resources before taking the quiz
  • I suggest working on only the first 10 questions. The remainder of the questions are more challenging, but feel free to test yourself! Link E. Assigned reading: Chapter 21, Sections 1 and 2

F. Read – Two perspectives on HIV and phylogenetics (5 mins each)

  • Phylogenetics as evidence to suggest innocence. Link
  • Phylogenetics as evidence to suggest guilt. Link

G. Watch - TED-Talk on tree building (9 mins). Link

Self study See the self activities for this week in this document. Make sure you have done the readings to be able to understand phylogenetic trees. PDF

04/21/2020. Phylogenetics and the history of Life

PackBack on speciation due on April 21st at 12:00 pm HST

Quiz opens at 1:10 pm HST. 45 minutes and will remain open for 24 hrs

Our expectation for this week:

  1. You should invest a total of 70 minutes reading, watching videos, and answering some key questions about what you are reading and seeing. This is equivalent to in-class lecture and processing of information.
  2. Independent study (approximately 1 hour) clarifying what you could not answer from above. Additional help is available at office hours during regularly scheduled lecture time (12-1:10PM, Tuesday and Thursdays).

Activities- Dr. Ed McAssey

A. Science Friday, the story of Archaea Link (25 min) B. New York Times article about the discoveries of Woese. Link -Consider:

  • What was the importance of the discovery of Archaea?
  • What is horizontal gene transfer?
  • How does horizontal gene transfer (HGT) affect our understanding of a phylogenetic tree?

C. iBiology video on microbial phylogenetics. Link (3 min) D. Dr. Zenil-Ferguson’s coronavirus phylogeny video. Link E. Dr. McAssey’s video on Ancestral State Reconstruction

  • Using phylogenetic trees to infer what ancestors looked like. Link
  • Co-speciation example
  • Quick example describing gopher and lice co-speciation. Link
  • Follow up video from Dr. McAssey. Link

Self study See the self activities for this week in this document. Make sure you have done the readings and watch the videos PDF

04/23/2020. Eukaryotes

Our expectation for this week:

  1. You should invest a total of 70 minutes reading, watching videos, and answering some key questions about what you are reading and seeing. This is equivalent to in-class lecture and processing of information.
  2. Independent study (approximately 1 hour) clarifying what you could not answer from above. Additional help is available at office hours during regularly scheduled lecture time (12-1:10PM, Tuesday and Thursdays).

Activities- Dr. Ed McAssey

A. Explore OneZoom.org

  • Do all clades in the phylogenetic tree have the same amount of species?
  • Think of the time required to generate this diversity
  • Look at the internal nodes and the types of information located there

B. Watch - The origin of tetrapods.Link (16 minutes, Neil Shubin).

  • Importance of transitional fossil specimens.
  • Watch the amazing story behind the discovery of Tiktaalik.
  • Be looking out for the important traits that Tiktaalik had that made it such an important discovery.
  • Read further importance of Tiktaalik. Link

C. Read- Assigned reading: Chapter 21, Section 3 from your OpenStax book

  • Focus on the HGT portion of the reading
  • Read – short NPR article about an example of HGT between eukaryotic organisms. Link
  • Watch – Dr. McAssey’s video that covers transitional fossils and HGT in eukaryotes. Link

D. Read - The origin of plants. Link

  • This reading helps address the speed of evolutionary change
  • Shows how the fossil record and DNA evidence were ultimately required to obtain a full understanding of the evolution of angiosperms

E. Watch - Dr. McAssey addresses some common questions. Link

  • Watch - Contemporary evolution: Natural selection of the lactase gene. Link. Start at 4 mins 35 seconds. Watch up until minute 19. Minutes 10-17 are quite complicated, OK to skim. Final portion (mins 17-19) of the video suggests the timing of when these mutations arose and started spreading
  • Read this lactose article. Link
  • A follow up reading that summarizes key points from the lactase video

F. Read - Hardy-Weinberg violations in humans • There are many examples here

Self study

  1. Why are transitional fossils important? (easy)
  2. What were the key features of Tiktaalik that resulted in it being considered ‘transitional’? (easy)
  3. What are some requirements for finding a fossil that you are hunting for? (youtube video on origin of tetrapods; medium)
  4. Why did angiosperms represent a challenge to Darwin’s thought on Evolution? (medium)
  5. Does evolution always occur at the same speed? Why or why not? (easy)
  6. Are humans still evolving? (medium)
  7. What are types of evidence to document human evolution? (easy)
  8. Describe, in evolutionary terms, how humans are related to monkeys, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. Use onezoom.org to help you derive the relationship. (medium)
  9. Are humans more evolved than a palm tree? Why or why not? (hard)
  10. Describe in evolutionary terms how angiosperms are related to humans. (hard)
  11. Come up with an example of how humans can violate Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. What would a violation of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium mean in terms of evolution? Does it mean natural selection has occurred? (hard)
  12. Explain how the variation in the lactase gene was under natural selection. (medium)

04/28/2020. Prokaryotes

PackBack on the history of life and Eukaryotes due on April 28th at 12:00 pm HST

Quiz opens at 1:10 pm HST. 45 minutes and will remain open for 24 hrs

  • Review of some of the questions from Dr. McAssey Video

Our expectation for this week:

  1. You should invest a total of 70 minutes reading, watching videos, and answering some key questions about what you are reading and seeing. This is equivalent to in-class lecture and processing of information.
  2. Independent study (approximately 1 hour) clarifying what you could not answer from above. Additional help is available at office hours during regularly scheduled lecture time (12-1:10PM, Tuesday and Thursdays).

Activities- Dr. Ed McAssey

A. The tree of life: Prokaryotes, Bacterial evolution, and the evolution of multicellularity

  • Watch video on Choanoflagellates and evolution of multicellularity. Link, watch up until 16 mins 50 seconds
  • Note the number of times multicellularity evolved
  • Watch - Experimental bacterial evolution. Link, watch up until minute 7
  • Think about why bacteria are excellent organisms to study evolution in the lab

B. Read - Livestock antibiotic usage. Link

  • Why should we be careful about administering antibiotics to farm animals?

C. Watch - Are we more microbial than we are human? Link

  • Note the relative number of prokaryotic cells found on and in our bodies. What might they be doing?
  • Watch up until 7 mins 18 seconds
  • Read - Gut microbes and cancer.Link
  • Watch Dr. McAssey’s follow up video on the microbiome. Link

D. Read - Stromatolites. Link

  • Read - Cyanobacteria evolution. Link

E. Watch - Dr. McAssey’s video on experimental evolution of bacteria and how cyanobacteria paved the way for evolution on land. Link

F. Read - Assigned reading, Chapter 23, Sections 1 and 2

Self study

  1. Place the fungi, plants, and animals on a phylogenetic tree. How many times did multicellularity evolve on this phylogenetic tree? (easy)
  2. Are choanoflagellates single-celled or multicellular? Explain why they played an important role in understanding the evolution of multicellularity. (medium)
  3. Why are bacteria an ideal system to learn about natural selection? (easy)
  4. In the video on experimental evolution, bacteria evolved the ability to use citrate as an energy source. What assumptions of Hardy-Weinberg were violated for that to occur? (medium)
  5. Explain why antibiotic usage in livestock could affect human health. (medium)
  6. How many bacterial cells are in our body compared to human cells? Why are there bacterial cells associated with the human body? Where are many of them found? (easy)
  7. There are pros and cons to using an antibiotic. Name one of each. Make sure to mention the microbiome in your answer. (medium)
  8. Stromatolites represent early evidence for life on earth. What are they? (easy)
  9. What is a biofilm? Does it suggest that all bacteria are solitary? (medium)
  10. Where did the first molecular oxygen on earth come from? (hard)
  11. How did the ozone layer form and what is its significance for evolution on land? (hard)
  12. Review: on a cellular level, how are prokaryotes different from eukaryotes? (easy)
  13. On a cellular level, how are prokaryotes different from each other? (hard)

04/30/2020. Viral Evolution

Our expectation for this week:

  1. You should invest a total of 70 minutes reading, watching videos, and answering some key questions about what you are reading and seeing. This is equivalent to in-class lecture and processing of information.
  2. Independent study (approximately 1 hour) clarifying what you could not answer from above. Additional help is available at office hours during regularly scheduled lecture time (12-1:10PM, Tuesday and Thursdays).

Activities- Dr. Ed McAssey

A. Watch - Lytic and Lysogenic cycles. Link

  • Compare and contrast these two cycles

B. Read - Discovery of the first coronavirus. Link

C. Watch - Viruses and viral evolution. Link.

  • Watch the first 20 minutes 30 seconds
  • Keep track of the Viral diversity (size, shape, genome), Growth, and Adaptability

D. Evolution of drug resistance in HIV. Watch Dr. McAssey’s follow up video on Viral evolution. Link

E. Watch – a video describing the use of phylogenetics during an outbreak. Link

  • Explore - the Coronavirus phylogeny yourself at Nextstrain

F. Read – Coronavirus evolution. Link

G. Watch – Dr. McAssey’s video on Coronavirus testing and vaccines. Link

  • Understand how testing works and the different types of testing that are available

H. Watch – Dr. Zenil-Ferguson’s video on a Covid-19 treatment. Link

I. Watch - President of ASM talks answers Q’s about the coronavirus. Link

  • Lots of useful information here
  • Including a discussion on testing

J. Read - Vaccine strategy summary. Link

  • Lots of infographics on the types of vaccines that are in development
  • Also give a description of how an immune response is created

K. Assigned reading: Chapter 22, Sections 1 and 2

  • Lots of details in this reading – only focus on the below points o Check out the comparison between the lytic and lysogenic cycle
  • This complements one of the videos from today’s activities
  • Also, check out the discussion on the morphology (shape) of viruses and the different types of genomes that they have

Self Study

  1. Give a step by step description of the lytic cycle. How does the lysogenic cycle differ from the lytic cycle? (medium)
  2. How would you classify a virus? Prokaryotic, Eukaryotic, other? Living or non- living? (hard)
  3. Viral genomes can be made of what kind of nucleic acids? (easy)
  4. Can viruses evolve? What is a real-world example of viral evolution? (medium)
  5. What is a reason why new viruses are hard to classify? To answer: check out the short reading on the discovery of the coronavirus. (easy)
  6. What are the two types of testing being done for Coronavirus? Describe how these tests reveal different information. (hard) o What is the goal of a vaccine?
  7. Describe how an inactivated or weakened virus can be used in a vaccine. (medium)
  8. Are viruses all the same shape and size? Where can viruses generally be found? (easy)
  9. Why are social distancing and wearing a facemask important tools in limiting the spread of the coronavirus? (easy)
  10. How does the anti-viral Remdesivir work? What process does it impair? (hard)

05/05/2020. What is Life?

LAST PackBack on Prokaryotes and Viral Evolution at 12:00 pm HST

Quiz opens at 1:10 pm HST. 45 minutes and will remain open for 24 hrs

  • Review of some of the questions from Dr. McAssey Video

Our expectation for this week:

  1. You should invest a total of 70 minutes reading, watching videos, and answering some key questions about what you are reading and seeing. This is equivalent to in-class lecture and processing of information.
  2. Independent study (approximately 1 hour) clarifying what you could not answer from above. Additional help is available at office hours during regularly scheduled lecture time. Thursday May 7th is our last office hours for the semester.

Activities- Dr. Ed McAssey

A. Watch - David Baum (7 minutes). What is life? Link

B. Watch – Dr. McAssey’s follow up video on the requirements of life. Link

C. Watch - And is life hard to find? Link

D. Listen - Podcast (47 minutes)- Exploration of Life. Link

E. Discussions on the field of astrobiology – looking for and theorizing about life outside of earth. Read - Smithsonian magazine. Link. This article talks about some of the ways scientists perform experiments to understand the origins of life

F. Read – BBC article. Link Very long read but I would like you to focus on the early sections (Chapter 1) of the reading that focus on the historical thought and early experiments on the origin of life. The later sections describe recent hypotheses and experiments on the origin of life. They are very technical, but if you are interested, there is a lot of great info

G. Read – Science article – HCN. Link. Relatively short read that highlights recent research on the origins of life

Self Study

  1. Would you modify /add / remove any of the items discussed as the ‘requirements of life’ in today’s materials? Why or why not? (medium)

  2. Why was the Miller-Urey experiment important? How does it relate to the study of the origin of life? (medium)

  3. What are some of the insights that astrobiologists seek to uncover? (hard)

  4. Why do chemists play such a big role in the study of the origin of life? (medium)

05/07/2020. Review

Your professors will upload a short review discussing some of the questions that were hard in the previous quizzes. The topics that you should focus on for your last quiz on May 14th are:

  • The properties of macromolecules
  • Respiration (aerobic and anaerobic)
  • Transcription/Translation
  • Mendelian genetics
  • Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
  • Phylogenetics

Updated: