Biology is designed for multi-semester biology courses for science majors. It is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand. To meet the needs of today’s instructors and students, some content has been strategically condensed while maintaining the overall scope and coverage of traditional texts for this course. Instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand—and apply—key concepts.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the different steps in RNA processingUnderstand the significance of exons, introns, and splicingExplain how tRNAs and rRNAs are processed

This course will explore the current frontiers of the world of RNA biology with primary research papers to trace how the original odd detail sometimes leads to major discoveries. As we discuss the different transcripts and processing events that enable this exciting diversity of RNA functions, we invite you to read landmark papers with us, think critically, and ask new questions, as we marvel at the wonders of RNA.
This course is one of many Advanced Undergraduate Seminars offered by the Biology Department at MIT. These seminars are tailored for students with an interest in using primary research literature to discuss and learn about current biological research in a highly interactive setting. Many instructors of the Advanced Undergraduate Seminars are postdoctoral scientists with a strong interest in teaching.

Fundamentals of Biology focuses on the basic principles of biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, and recombinant DNA. These principles are necessary to understanding the basic mechanisms of life and anchor the biological knowledge that is required to understand many of the challenges in everyday life, from human health and disease to loss of biodiversity and environmental quality.
Course Format

This course has been designed for independent study. It consists of four units, one for each topic. The units can be used individually or in combination. The materials for each unit include:

Lecture Videos by MIT faculty.
Learning activities, including Interactive Concept Quizzes, designed to reinforce main concepts from lectures.
Problem Sets you do on your own and check your answers against the Solutions when you're done.
Problem Solving Video help sessions taught by experienced MIT Teaching Assistants.
Lists of important Terms and Definitions.
Suggested Topics and Links for further study.
Exams with Solution Keys.

Content Development

Eric Lander
Robert Weinberg
Tyler Jacks
Hazel Sive
Graham Walker
Sallie Chisholm
Dr. Michelle Mischke

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:

"When functioning normally, the protein FGFR2 helps regulate cell growth and division, bone growth, and the formation of blood vessels. But alterations in FGFR2 activity have been linked to certain cancers, including breast and prostate cancer, most notably because of a switch between two forms of the protein: from FGFR2b to FGFR2c. To understand the effects of this transition, a recent study examined how the aberrant expression of FGFR2c affects another protein known as PKCε. PKCε is overexpressed in several carcinomas. dramatically increasing the growth rate and mobility of the same cells regulated by FGFR2c. Test-tube experiments revealed that faulty expression of FGFR2c strongly activated PKCε through phosphorylation, a process in which phosphoryl groups are attached to a protein, modifying its function in most cases..."

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