Current Topics in Development and Genetics
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| LIFE3031 | Life Sciences | 3 | 10 | Autumn UK |
- Code
- LIFE3031
- School
- Life Sciences
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 10
- Semesters
- Autumn UK
Summary
A series of student-driven assignments and discussion groups/workshops on evolutionary biology with an emphasis on behaviour. Example topics include: adaptation, sex and evolution, kinship theory, communication, and human behavioural ecology. On the way we will develop your skills in understanding assessment criteria, presenting to an audience and writing and editing. This module requires you to work productively in a group of your peers. Students are advised that assessed coursework is set very early in this module and joining the module after the first session will reduce your preparation time; this will not constitute an extenuating circumstance.
Target Students
Biology, Genetics, Biochemistry, Zoology, Neurobiology and related degrees. Also available for Biotechnology students.
Co-requisites
Modules you must take in the same academic year, or have taken in a previous year, to enrol in this module:
- Developmental Biology (LIFE2016)
- Reproductive Physiology (BIOS2011)
- Building Brains (LIFE2061)
- The Genome and Human Disease (LIFE2072)
- Epigenetics and Developmental Biotechnology (BIOS2088)
Classes
This module may be delivered through lectures, seminars, workshops and labs etc
Assessment
- 100% Exam (2-hour): in-person exam.
Assessed by end of autumn semester
Educational Aims
The aim of this module is to discuss the formation and maintenance of select tissues during late stages of embryogenesis and adulthood. The discussions will concentrate on the mechanisms of cellular differentiation and organ development. The role of stem cells in tissue maintenance and the use of pluripotent cells in basic research and tissue regeneration will also be discussed. There will be a particular emphasis on experimental approaches that have helped us to understand the processes involved in embryonic development. Ethical and regulatory issues that arise in the context of these experiments will be discussed.Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module, students shall be able to:
1. Discuss the development of the central nervous system from the neural ectoderm
2. Explain the mechanisms involved in neuronal migration and axonal pathfinding
3. Discuss the development of the neural crest at the border between the neural and non-neural ectoderm and the role of its cellular descendants
4. Discuss the mechanisms behind the sequential formation of the somites from the paraxial mesoderm
5. Explain the cellular origin of myocardial, endocardial and endothelial cells in the early vertebrate embryo and discuss molecular players with key roles in the development of these cell types
6. Discuss the differences between primitive, pre-definitive and definitive haematopoiesis in the mammalian embryo
7. Discuss similarities and differences between mouse and zebrafish haematopoiesis
8. Explain the differences between vasculogenesis and angiogenesis, and discuss the formation of lymphatic vessels
9. Discuss the patterning of the endoderm and the development of endoderm-derived organs
10. Discuss ethical and regulatory issues associated with the experiments performed in developmental biology
11. Discuss experimental approaches that have been instrumental in generating the knowledge that we have accumulated
12. Approach problem solving by using the knowledge and applying the experimental approaches introduced in this lecture series