Biology

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The Biology course is currently under development and we are making the course available while it is under development. The current version contains four units of the full semester course on Modern Biology at Carnegie Mellon University. We have conducted studies of the current version with students at Carnegie Mellon during the summer and fall semesters. We have modified the content and presentation based on those studies. Your access to this verison includes all expository text, simulations, comprehension tests and interactive learning exercises in the first four units. Please give us feedback about the biology course or about OLI.

The Open & Free Version of the course does NOT include access to the end-of-module graded exams or to the course instructor. No credit is awarded for completing the Open & Free Version of the course.

Course Description

This introductory course in"Modern Biology" covers topics found in the fields of celluar biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics. It does not cover organismal biology or taxonomy. This course is a requirement for biology majors at Carnegie Mellon University. The course is carefully planned to provide the backgound biology students will need for advanced biology classes. Non-biology majors will also find this course useful as it explains many of the concepts and techniques currently discussed in the popular press.ans for a complete on-line Biology course are under development.

This Modern Biology course is built around six Key Concepts that provide unifying explanations for how and why structures are formed and processes occur throughout your study of biology. Because it is not possible to cover the breadth of modern molecular biology in one semester, an understanding of these Key Concepts will provide a basis for extension of your knowledge to biological systems beyond the specifics covered in this course. One of the major goals of the course therefore is for you to not only learn the definitions of the concepts but also learn to recognize when they are operating the process being studied.

The Key Concepts

• Bioselectivity
• Energy
• Equilibrium
• Ionic State
• Rate Control
• Solubility

AVAILABLE NOW
Four units of the online Modern Biology course and an appendix.

Unit 1: Modern Biology

Unit 2: Biological Chemistry
- Atoms, Functional Groups, and Water
- Equilibrium and pH
- Carbohydrates and Polysaccharides
- Amino Acids and Proteins
- Enzymes and Regulation

Unit 3: Cell BiologyModule
- Lipids and Membranes
- Transport and Signalling

Unit 4: Basis of Molecular Biology
- DNA and RNA
- DNA Replication
- DNA Transcription
- RNA Translation-Protein Synthesis

Appendix: Glossaries
- Instructions for Activities
- Tutorial Animations
- Functional Groups
- Structure and Function of the Cell Membrane
- Images of Living Cells