Introduction to Biology

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Biology, the science of life, studies the organisms as the basic units of life. How they are evolved, how they are build up, how they act, how they communicate with each other, how they are related to the non-living environment, and how they reproduce. Since organisms are build up of cells, the basic unity of all life forms, the course will start with providing insight in the basic structure and function of cells and its organelles and the differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. We will continue by discussing the biomolecules essential for life and the processes that generate these molecules in the cell. Because organisms also grow and reproduce, the course will further focus on topics as the genome and its replication, transcription and translation, basic (Mendelian) genetics and the principles of cell growth and differentiation, metabolism and reproduction. The course will end with a comparison of the cycle of life of different species.