Greetings! I think we’ve got a great course lined up for you this semester. It’s set up to enable you to really engage the concepts required to understand How Life Works. I’m drawing a distinction here between ‘doing some stuff related in some way to topic X’ and wrestling with the big ideas themselves. Since we’re dealing with a molecule-sized world, that means that a big chunk of the early labs will require thinking with your head instead of your hands--imagining molecules, thinking about the how & why of their behaviors & structure, and working with computer visualization tools.
We’ll start with the ground rules--the constraints on the machines themselves. It sounds a lot like Chemistry--because it is Chemistry. From there, we’ll tour the two parts of the cell’s Division of Labor--nucleic acids, information storage and transfer masters, and proteins, the doers of most of that which gets done in a cell.
Integrated with these investigations will be consideration of how the information is taken care of, packaged, and distributed for future generations. We’ll also consider the causes and consequences of mutation.
From there, we’ll embark on a look at cellular energy transactions. Again, we’ll start with a chemical foundation, considering where and how ‘energy’ is stored. You’ll also start taking cracks at experimental design, execution, and interpretation. This segment will include investigations of sugar-breaking, fermentation, and photosynthesis.
Finally, we’ll take a last look at proteins in the form of antibodies, and how these contribute to the fact that you don’t die of absolutely everything all the time.
Running throughout the course will be an investigation of some striking creatures known as ‘cellular slime mold’. These investigations will culminate with a limited project chosen, designed and executed by... you.
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