Professor Betsey Dexter Dyer examines the wideranging field of genetics, which is the study of the hereditary information of organisms, how it is used, and how it is transferred through generations. These fascinating lectures also address DNA sequences and how they apply to “genetic engineering,” viruses, and genetic diseases such as cancers and birth defects. In addition to examining why people look and act the way they do, the course also considers the philosophical issues associated with such controversial topics as cloning and genetic ID cards.
Lecture 1 The Long History of Practical Genetics
Lecture 2 What Did Gregor Mendel Do?
Lecture 3 What Did Mendel Do Next?
Lecture 4 A Cookie Factory in a Black Box Designed by Rube Goldberg
Lecture 5 How Mammals Get Their Colors
Lecture 6 The Importance of Environment: In the Short Term
Lecture 7 Environment Over the Long Term: The Genetics of Populations
Lecture 8 DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid)
Lecture 9 Transcription and Translation: The Metaphor of an Error-Prone Medieval Monk in a Scriptorium
Lecture 10 Chromosomes, Mitosis, and Meiosis: How DNA Is Packaged for Moving
Lecture 11 Mutations
Lecture 12 Regulating the Genes and the Dramatic Consequences of Regulatory Mutations
Lecture 13 Viruses, Jumping Genes, and Symbionts: Whose DNA Is It and What Are the New Philosophical Questions?
Lecture 14 Conclusions