Students are introduced to the concept of engineering biological organisms and studying their growth to be able to identify periods of fast and slow growth. They learn that bacteria are found everywhere, including on the surfaces of our hands. Student groups study three different conditions under which bacteria are found and compare the growth of the individual bacteria from each source. In addition to monitoring the quantity of bacteria from differ conditions, they record the growth of bacteria over time, which is an excellent tool to study binary fission and the reproduction of unicellular organisms.

Biology is designed for multi-semester biology courses for science majors. It is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand. To meet the needs of today’s instructors and students, some content has been strategically condensed while maintaining the overall scope and coverage of traditional texts for this course. Instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand—and apply—key concepts.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:List the steps in eukaryotic transcriptionDiscuss the role of RNA polymerases in transcriptionCompare and contrast the three RNA polymerasesExplain the significance of transcription factors

By the end of this section, you will be able to:List the different steps in prokaryotic transcriptionDiscuss the role of promoters in prokaryotic transcriptionDescribe how and when transcription is terminated

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the different steps in RNA processingUnderstand the significance of exons, introns, and splicingExplain how tRNAs and rRNAs are processed

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the different steps in protein synthesisDiscuss the role of ribosomes in protein synthesis

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Explain the “central dogma” of protein synthesisDescribe the genetic code and how the nucleotide sequence prescribes the amino acid and the protein sequence

By the end of this section, you will be able to:List the components of the endomembrane systemRecognize the relationship between the endomembrane system and its functions

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the functions proteins perform in the cell and in tissuesDiscuss the relationship between amino acids and proteinsExplain the four levels of protein organizationDescribe the ways in which protein shape and function are linked

Study and discussion of computational approaches and algorithms for contemporary problems in functional genomics. Topics include DNA chip design, experimental data normalization, expression data representation standards, proteomics, gene clustering, self-organizing maps, Boolean networks, statistical graph models, Bayesian network models, continuous dynamic models, statistical metrics for model validation, model elaboration, experiment planning, and the computational complexity of functional genomics problems.

As a class, students work through an example showing how DNA provides the "recipe" for making our body proteins. They see how the pattern of nucleotide bases (adenine, thymine, guanine, cytosine) forms the double helix ladder shape of DNA, and serves as the code for the steps required to make genes. They also learn some ways that engineers and scientists are applying their understanding of DNA in our world.

This online interactive module of 10 pages or frames integrates textual information, 3D molecular models, interactive molecular simulations, and embedded assessment items to guide students in understanding the copying of DNA base sequences from translation to transcription into proteins within each cell. The module divides the exercises in to Day 1 and Day 2 time frames. Teachers can view student assessment responses by assigning the module within a class created within the Molecular Workbench application. This Java-based module must be downloaded to each computer.

Express yourself through your genes! See if you can generate and collect three types of protein, then move on to explore the factors that affect protein synthesis in a cell.

Student teams learn about engineering design of green fluorescent proteins (GFPs) and their use in medical research, including stem cell research. They simulate the use of GFPs by adding fluorescent dye to water and letting a flower or plant to transport the dye throughout its structure. Students apply their knowledge of GFPs to engineering applications in the medical, environmental and space exploration fields. Due to the fluorescing nature of the dye, plant life of any color, light or dark, can be used unlike dyes that can only be seen in visible light.