Evolutionary Medicine (ECOL 220)​

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“Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” -Theodosius Dobzhkansky 

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Modern medicine has made enormous strides in improving human health and the human condition, but the incorporation of evolutionary biology into the ethos of medical training and treatments has historically lagged behind. All infectious and disease-causing agents, and their targets, evolve: understanding how evolution has (and continues to) shape the underlying processes that lead to disease, death, and discomfort thus has the potential to continue to contribute substantially to medical advances. Evolutionary medicine offers a unique perspective on understanding human health and disease by examining how evolution has and continues to shape our biology, behavior, and susceptibility to illness. In this course, you will learn to think like a scientist as you learn and apply the basics of evolutionary theory to modern medical science by engaging with lecture material, multi-format assessments, popular science, medical case studies, and the thoughts/ideas of your classmates.

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Ecology and Evolution of Animal Microbiomes (ECOL 427)

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“If you don’t like bacteria, you’re on the wrong planet.” -Stewart Brand

 

All animals on Earth co-exist with the trillions of microbes that inhabit different locations in and around their bodies. In many cases, these microbes have co-evolved alongside their hosts to fulfill both their own microbial requirements for life, as well as help their hosts navigate meet their own internal and external demands. This course explores the ecology and evolution of animals and their commensal microbes, and serves as a broad introduction into the field of research on host-associated microbial communities in animals (plant-microbe interactions are not the focus here!). Students in this course will move from acquiring a general understanding of the form and function of commensal microbial communities to addressing questions about how commensal microbiota may influence host evolution and adaptation. Students will engage with primary research articles, review papers, popular science, data visualization, and explore real microbiome data.