Mar 29, 2024  
2012-2013 Academic Catalog 
    
2012-2013 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

BIO 150-04 - Intro to Biological Inquiry W/Lab (Spring)

4 credits (Spring)
Symmetry Breaking: Cells are not disorderly bags of molecules. On the contrary, all cells carefully distribute their contents asymmetrically in order to make certain parts of themselves distinct from other parts. How do cells do this? Why do they spend so much energy breaking symmetry? It turns out that symmetry breaking (cell polarization) is essential for many cellular processes. In this course students will learn to use frog oocytes, eggs, and/or embryos in order to observe and explore polarization processes in living cells. Moreover, students will perform novel research related to this topic, which will involve developing a specific hypothesis, designing and performing experiments, and analyzing and sharing results.

Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Sandquist