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- BIOL 0480: Evolutionary Biology
Instructor:David Rand
Time and Place: Course Schedule
This course focuses on the processes of evolution and the patterns generated
by these processes. Our aim is to develop a scientific way of thinking about
biological diversity rather than attempting to memorize the history of living
things. If you can acquire an evolutionary "way of thinking" about
the tremendous diversity of life, you will probably remember more, and be equipped
to discuss things more intelligently, than if we forced you to memorize dry facts
about, say, gene frequencies or the fossil record. How can we account for the
extinction of dinosaurs and the existence of mites that crawl around our eyelids?
How on earth did some insects come to look so much like sticks? We will seek
explanations for such patterns of diversity and for the apparent "good fit" of
organisms to their environment. Topics covered include elementary population
genetics, the theory of evolution by natural selection, concepts of fitness and
adaptation, genetic and developmental bases of evolutionary change, modes of
speciation, molecular evolution, principles of systematic biology, paleontology
and macroevolutionary trends in evolution, extinction and human evolution. As
this list indicates, you will be introduced to the major topics within evolutionary
biology: Bio 48 is a survey course. We hope that the exposure to the tremendous
diversity within this discipline will illustrate why evolution is viewed as the
central theme unifying all of biology. The only prerequisite is a course in Introductory
Biology (Bio 20 or a score of 4 on the Biology AP test). For more information view the Course Catalog.
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