The Circle of Life: Topics in Developmental Biology

This course is nearly at capacity for students applying in the Extended round. We strongly recommend you consider at least one alternative course option for your application.

Every animal on earth moves through phases over the course of their lifespan. As humans, we start in utero, then go through infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and senescence. Many insects and some amphibians undergo metamorphosis, which involves almost complete remodeling of the organism’s body, between the juvenile stages and adulthood. In this course, we will be looking at the developmental biology of these life cycle phases and transitions: how does a single cell grow and transition into an embryo? How does that embryo build organs and grow into a juvenile stage? How do juveniles transition into reproductive maturity? We will be looking at these questions using genetics, cellular, and molecular biology. This course will have a laboratory component, which will culminate in an independent research project for each student.