1. WHAT IS MODERN BIOLOGY?

2. Modern Biology “Modern” is relative
Started around Aristotle’s time ( BC)
Understanding of the relationship of genetics and evolution caused biology to explode with knowledge
First wide understanding of this occurred with Dawkins’ The Selfish Gene in 1976

3. Central Ideas
Cell Theory
Evolution
Genetics
Homeostasis
Energy

4. Areas of Study and Research
Structural
Physiological
Evolutionary
Systematic
Ecological and environmental

5. Unanswered Questions
How did sex evolve?
Why does aging occur?

6. 1st Semester We will be working primarily on The Selfish Gene
We will finish the book by the end of the semester

7. 2nd Semester
No book
Focus more on projects and research—much more independent!
Very flexible—if there’s something that we find particularly interesting, we will spend more time on it!

8. Things to Note
This class accepts basic biological theories as fact. We can’t stop to question it every time it comes up.
We’re going to talk about sex. A lot. It’s a natural process that drives most eukaryotic evolution.
Richard Dawkins is a brilliant biologist. That being said, he’s also kind of an egotistical jerk…

9. Things to Note Religion vs. Science—NOT AN ISSUE.
Today, many religious denominations accept that biological evolution has produced the diversity of living things over billions of years of Earth's history. Many have issued statements observing that evolution and the tenets of their faiths are compatible. Scientists and theologians have written eloquently about their awe and wonder at the history of the universe and of life on this planet, explaining that they see no conflict between their faith in God and the evidence for evolution. Religious denominations that do not accept the occurrence of evolution tend to be those that believe in strictly literal interpretations of religious texts.
—National Academy of Sciences, Science, Evolution, and Creationism
The existence of deities cannot be confirmed nor denied by the scientific method, therefore science is not concerned with it.
That being said, some scientists like to claim it does…

10. How To Study I don’t expect you to understand EVERYTHING!
Think about processes, cause/effect, systems