BIOL 208T The Search for Life's Beginnings (Not offered 2008-2009; to be offered 2009-2010) (W)
In the early 1950s, a seminal experiment by Stanley Miller and Harold Urey demonstrated the abiotic synthesis of amino acids from simple gases thought to be present on the prebiotic earth. From this modest beginning, studies on the origin of life have become a major focus of evolutionary biology. In this tutorial, we will examine topics such as the RNA world hypothesis and other theories on the origin of life, discovery of ribozymes with self-replicating properties, new abiotic syntheses of biochemical compounds, the role of viruses in establishing DNA-based inheritance, the accumulation of oxygen and the development of aerobes, Precambrian fossils of early life forms and their recent reevaluation, properties of the Archaea, and evolution of cell structure and function, among others.
Format: tutorial. Evaluation will be based on 5 (4-5 page) papers, tutorial presentations, and the student's effectiveness as a critic.
Prerequisites: Biology 101 and 102. Enrollment limit: 10 (expected: 10). Preference given to sophomores.
DEWITT