Introduction to Genetics and Evolution

Description

The module examines the theories surrounding the origin of life, the chemistry of the early earth and the proposed ‘RNA world’. The module also explores the theory of evolution by natural selection and the consequences at both the whole organism and molecular level by examining Darwinism and phylogenetic studies using bioinformatic resources. Bioinformatic analysis of proteins is introduced. Additionally, the module discusses current ideas about evolution and allele frequency in relation to genetics; topics include Mendel from the point of view of the biochemist, selection on human genes, genetic drift and founder effects, the genetics of pathogens, single nucleotide polymorphisms and human disease