Independent reading or research courses. Full course as arranged. Does not normally count toward the major.

Fall and spring semesters.

Microbes inhabit the world's oceans, deserts, lakes, soils, and atmosphere, and play a vital role in the Earth's biogeochemical cycles.  As humans, we harbor a diverse microbial flora estimated to outnumber our own human cells.  During this course, we will explore this microbial world by investigating the structure, physiology, genetics, and evolution of microorganisms with a focus on bacteria, but including discussions of archaea, viruses, and microbial eukaryotes.

Functional morphology is the study of relationships between anatomical structures and the ecology and behavior of organisms. For example, how does a bird’s wing produce flight? Can we predict differences in bird flight habits based on wing shape or feather structure? How do wings of flying and flightless birds differ? The course begins by focusing on the importance of animal body size and metabolism before moving on to various forms of locomotion, and then to morphological adaptations for prey capture, predator avoidance, and reproduction.

This course will examine the function of tissues, organs, and organ systems, with an emphasis on the relationship between structure and function. Building outward from the level of the cell, we will study bodily processes including respiration, circulation, digestion and excretion. In addition, the course will address how different organisms regulate these complex processes and how ion and fluid balance is maintained.

In this course we will explore genetic analysis as a means of probing the mysteries of the molecular world. Scientists often turn to the study of genes and mutations when trying to decipher the molecular mechanisms that underlie such diverse processes as the making of an embryo, the response of cells to their environment, or the defect in a heritable disease. All of the reading in the course will be from the primary literature, where students will engage with data from genetic experiments that shed light on the workings of a signal transduction pathway.