BIO 150-02 - Introduction to Biological Inquiry

4 credits (Spring)

Growin’ a Metazoan. The process by which a multi-cellular organism morphs from a fairly symmetrical single-celled egg into a highly structured, stereotypical adult form is at once amazing and mystifying. In this course, we are going to use the frog model system (Xenopus laevis) in order to explore some of the internal and external factors contributing to embryonic development in vertebrates. By fertilizing eggs in vitro and controlling environment conditions, we will see what it takes to make a proper tadpole, or why some may form two heads or others as all belly. Additionally, we will discuss the exciting and sometimes peculiar history of embryology, as well as some of the potential medical and societal implications of manipulating and engineering embryos. Like in all BIO150s, students will perform novel research related to the course topic, which will involve developing a specific hypothesis about how a condition of your choosing may affect tadpole development, designing and performing experiments to test your hypothesis, analyzing your data, and sharing your results through writing and oral presentation.

Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Sandquist

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