This course is an in-depth adventure through the molecular mechanisms that control the maintenance, expression, and evolution of prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes. Through lectures and readings of relevant literature, students will explore gene regulation, DNA replication, genetic recombination, transcription, and mRNA translation. The quizzes are designed to build students' experimental design and data analysis skills.
This course, based on the MIT course 7.28/7.58 Molecular Biology taken by enrolled MIT students, was organized as a three-part series on edX by MIT’s Department of Biology. It is self-paced and free as long as you enroll in the Audit Track option, which you can select after creating a free account on edX.

This chapter is apart of our Brain and Behavior Neuroscience open-access textbook. The content of this chapter focuses on aggression and aggressive behavior in animal models and humans. The neurophisology of aggression is explored, along with more specific topics of aggression like epigenetic influence and age influence. 

This chapter is apart of our Brain and Behavior Neuroscience open-access textbook. The content of this chapter focuses on aggression and aggressive behavior in animal models and humans. The neurophisology of aggression is explored, along with more specific topics of aggression like epigenetic influence and age influence. 

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"There may be a silver lining for those at high risk for Alzheimer’s: as the chance of getting the disease goes up, certain treatments may become more effective. The risk of developing Alzheimer’s largely relies on a gene called APOE, with different variants conferring more or less risk. Usually, having a high-risk allele is bad news, but a group of researchers from New York University has reported that carrying the high-risk allele could actually boost responsiveness to immunotherapy, a promising new treatment option. The APOE gene helps determine how much beta-amyloid accumulates in the brain. Beta-amyloid starts as small misfolded bits of protein that clump together to form the plaques that are the hallmark of Alzheimer’s. As the plaques appear, the brain deteriorates, particularly in regions associated with memory. One way to potentially halt this process is to use antibodies that recognize beta-amyloid. The antibodies bind to the protein and signal to the immune system to clear it out..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

OER | Biology Overview:

On this webpage you will find OER Biology textbooks along with supplemental materials and a few lecture videos.
The purpose of these discipline-specific webpages is to display content that might be of interest to faculty who are considering adopting open educational resources for use in their classes. This list of content is by no means exhaustive. The nature of open educational resources is very collaborative and it is in that spirit that we encourage any comments about the content featured on this page or recommendations of content that are not already listed here.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Two mosquito species in America have been engaged in a battle for dominance for the past 30 years: the native Aedes aegypti and the invasive Aedes albopictus -- also known as the Asian tiger mosquito The tiger mosquito has a distinct competitive advantage Male Aedes albopictus are really good at wooing female Aedes aegypti The resultant interspecies mating permanently sterilizes the female, effectively ending her reproductive future But Aedes aegypti are evolving the ability to resist the advances of Aedes albopictus Although this is good news for Aedes aegypti the outlook is darker for humans, as Aedes aegypti are key transmitters of diseases like Zika and dengue fever Researchers have now started to uncover the genetic changes tied to this resistance Uncovering the molecular correlates governing mosquito mating preferences could lead to better control strategies and might help prevent future outbreaks of disease Burford Reiskind, et al..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Bioethics is the study of the moral implications of new and emerging medical technologies and looks to answer questions such as selling organs, euthanasia and whether should we clone people. The series consists of a series of interviews by leading bioethics academics and is aimed at individuals looking to explore often difficult and confusing questions surrounding medical ethics. The series lays out the issue in a clear and precise way and looks to show all sides of the debate.

This 28-minute video lesson provides an introduction to DNA. [Biology playlist: Lesson 6 of 71].

BioME is an open access, online program providing 11 animated lesson on genetics and 17 embryology lessons. Lessons for molecular and cellular biology have been composed and will be added after they have been reviewed by content experts. The lessons can be used as visual aids for lectures and other presentations, as well as supplemental resources for student self-study. The animations are stop action progressions that advance from step to step, facilitating visualization and comprehension of the dynamic processes. Additional functions of the BioME program include practice questions, PopUps and downloadable excerpts.

This site contains user-friendly tools to launch DNA database searches, statistical analyses, and population modeling from a centralized workspace. Educational databases support investigations of an Alu insertion polymorphism on human chromosome 16 and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the human mitochondrial control region.

This blog post from the Wisconsin Fast Plants website describes the observation of plant hairs (trichomes) for conducting a selective breeding experiment (such as in AP Biology investigations). The number of hairs is variable in Fast Plants seed varieties, and selection for or against plant hairiness is heritable, with measureable gain/loss from selection in offspring generations. This post describes strategies for identifying and counting plant hairs, including instructions for use of free ImageJ software.

This blog post from the Wisconsin Fast Plants features open source educator resources, developed in 2023. These resources support the teaching of genetics concepts with tools focused on a Dihybrid Inheritance Study. This study provides a two-week approach for observing three generations of plant seedlings, germinated in Petri dishes. Observation of these three generations provides a model for inheritance of two traits found in Fast Plants seed varieties: Non-Purple Stem and Rosette-Dwarf. While observing traits in seedlings, students are guided to discuss norms for data collection and generate an evidence based model that explains the observed traits. This post is primarily a point of reference, giving background information about the Dihybrid Inheritance Study activity and providing links to free downloadable resources for teaching in your classroom. Resources include slideshows with photos of seedlings and discussion prompts, an implementation calendar, and handouts for preparation of Petri dishes in the classroom.

This blog post on the Wisconsin Fast Plants website features the recently released Wisconsin Fast Plants genetics simulations, powered by ExploreLearning Gizmos. Sign up for a free account on the Gizmo website (https://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=Controller.dspFreeAccount) for free access to two simulations that were collaboratively developed by the teams at Explore Learning and the Wisconsin Fast Plants Program of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. These simulations replace those previously available on our website that were developed nearly two decades ago and no longer function on modern operating systems. Fast Plants Gizmos were created as a collaboration between ExploreLearning and the Wisconsin Fast Plants Program of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They were designed to support many of the experiments that students can do using Fast Plants seeds and plants. By using these Gizmos in combination with firsthand experiences growing Fast Plants, students can compare simulated growth, development and reproduction with observations of living Fast Plants. In addition, the Gizmos genetic simulation makes it possible for students to gather data from a significantly larger plant population than is typically grown in classrooms. These Gizmos also stand alone, supporting topics both in plant life cycles and Mendelian genetics and can be used by any student. Simulation, Simulations, Genetics, Inheritance

During Fall 2021, all MIT students and the general public are welcome to join Professors Richard Young and Facundo Batista as they discuss the science of the COVID-19 pandemic. The livestream of the lectures is available to the public, but only registered students are able to ask questions during the Q&A.
Lectures will be given by leading experts on the fundamentals of coronavirus and host cell biology, immunology, epidemiology, clinical disease, and vaccine and therapeutic development. Guest faculty include Amy Barczak, Dan Barouch, Arup Chakraborty, Victoria Clark, Shane Crotty, Anthony Fauci, Britt Glaunsinger, Salim Karim, Shiv Pillai, Rochelle Walensky, Bruce Walker, Laura Walker, and Andrew Ward.

In this course we will explore how altered metabolism drives cancer progression. Students will learn (1) how to read, discuss, and critically evaluate scientific findings in the primary research literature, (2) how scientists experimentally approach fundamental issues in biology and medicine, (3) how recent findings have challenged the traditional “textbook” understanding of metabolism and given us new insight into cancer, and (4) how a local pharmaceutical company is developing therapeutics to target cancer metabolism in an effort to revolutionize cancer therapy.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Walking through the produce section at the grocery store, you are likely to find tomatoes of all shapes, sizes, and colors. One variety may be large and oblong with a hint of bitter flavor while another will have small, sweet fruits. This variance is primarily the result of genetic and chemical properties of the different varieties. But it turns out, environment also plays a role. A team of Italian scientists has shown that the molecular properties of tomatoes are strongly influenced by environmental factors such as temperature and moisture. And changing these factors can, in turn, have pronounced effects on the physical and culinary qualities of the fruits – an important finding considering the pace of current climate change. To tease apart the interaction between genetics, environment, and organoleptic traits, the research team grew three tomato varieties in two different locations. This exposed the plants to varying levels of moisture, soil acidity, and temperature, among other conditions..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

How genetics can add to our understanding of cognition, language, emotion, personality, and behavior. Use of gene mapping to estimate risk factors for psychological disorders and variation in behavioral and personality traits. Mendelian genetics, genetic mapping techniques, and statistical analysis of large populations and their application to particular studies in behavioral genetics. Topics also include environmental influence on genetic programs, evolutionary genetics, and the larger scientific, social, ethical, and philosophical implications.

This is a coloring book that I drew and designed as a fun way for my students to review information and/or doodle on. The pictures are inspired by images I use in my General Biology I class, and are presented in the same order as they are discussed in my class. The coloring book is NOT designed as an alternative to attending lecture, studying notes, etc. You can download the PDF of the coloring book and then color the pictures on an app (like using an iPad and Apple Pencil) or print out the images and color them using your preferred method (like with colored pencils).