2019-2020 Academic Catalog 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
2019-2020 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

BIOL 253 - Darwinian Medicine


Darwinian (Evolutionary) Medicine is the application of basic evolutionary theory to medical science and public health.  Human diseases have both proximate (mechanistic) and ultimate (evolutionary) causes. The common medical approach has been to ignore the ultimate causes and, instead, focus on the proximate. Thus, we may understand the physiological processes but not the evolutionary significance. In this course, we will focus on the evolutionary causes of disease. The primary goal of this course is to teach research skills while sharpening understanding and application of Darwinian thought. To this end, students will generate hypotheses, collect and analyze data to test these hypotheses, and present the information in both oral and manuscript form.

Prerequisites: BIOL 105  - Evolution

Anticipated Terms Offered: Spring