Segments of the course taught by members of the Department of Genetics :
Dr John Welch : Evolutionary Genetics
8 lectures:
1. Introducing evolutionary genetics
2. Genetic changes in populations: selection and drift
3. Natural selection in context
4. The genetics and evolution of quantitative traits
5. Adaptation and apparent design
6. Some ongoing debates in evolutionary genetics
7. On the origin of species
8. Phylogenies and lineages over time
Genetics and evolution are two of the great unifying themes in biology. These lectures will introduce the major methods and tools that are used by evolutionary geneticists to understand earth’s biodiversity. The aim is to provide you with the means to think clearly about evolution, and to answer your own questions about the natural world. The lectures will move from mutation – the ultimate origin of genetic variation – via the processes of random genetic drift, and natural selection, to the formation of new species, and macroevolutionary patterns.
Practicals
A significant contribution is made by the Department
Further information about the course
Website : http://www.biology.cam.ac.uk/undergrads/nst/courses/eb
Programme specification, aims and outcomes : http://www.natsci.tripos.cam.ac.uk/subject-information/part1a/evo
Course Organiser : Dr Edgar Turner, Zoology
Course Administrator :teaching@zoo.cam.ac.uk
Contributing Departments : Zoology, Genetics, Biochemistry, Plant Sciences, Psychology and Biological Anthropology
