Biological Sciences

This course begins by discussing the physiology of the cell and the function of the cell membrane. It then continues to cardiovascular physiology, respiratory, fluid, and salt balance, followed by the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system and ending with gastrointestinal physiology, control, and feedback. This course is designed to be taken in combination with SKI2079 Lab Skills: Human Anatomy and Histology. Students wishing to take the Lab Skills should concurrently enroll in or have completed this course. Students wishing to take SCI2009 Human Physiology without taking the Lab Skills may do so. Prerequisites include Introduction to Biology. 

The course looks at how plants work and how this knowledge is being used in crop improvement and biotechnology. The course is also about developing students' skills, from designing and analyzing experiments to finding, evaluating, and presenting information.
The course particularly explores aspects of plants that make them unique. It is centered on the processes underlying growth, development, and how plants interact with their environment and with the pathogens and symbionts that they share it with.
Students learn how plants use their genetic information and how this knowledge can be harnessed via the latest synthetic biology, gene editing, and high-throughput sequencing technologies available to improve crops and tackle climate change.

This course examines the biological, behavioral, social and ecological determinants of health from scientific, social, cultural and policy perspectives. It covers current and historical health challenges faced locally and globally. 

This course covers the biology, agronomy, physiology, and ecology of seaweeds to analyze cultivation, ecophysiology, and ecology in marine systems vs. terrestrial systems. Aspects covered include the limits and possibilities of seaweed production concerning the physical environment (light, temperature, carbon); the importance of salinity for productivity and metabolism; ecological risks and environmental hazards; and biodiversity, reproduction, and breeding.

This course studies hormones and the regulation of metabolism, reproduction and water/salt homeostasis in our body. Topics include: adrenal medulla; adrenal cortex, ACTH, renin-angiotensin, and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP); the thyroid; hypothalamus releasing and inhibitory factors; pituitary gland; neurohypophysis; growth hormones; prolactin; and gastro-entero-pancreatric peptides. 

The objective of the course is to obtain insight into the endocrine system of the human body by studying illnesses that disturb this homeostatic control mechanism. Physiology deals with the explanation of the biological, physical, and chemical factors that are responsible for the origin, development, and progression of life. Students study the disturbances in physiological function (homeostasis) resulting in disease, to deepen their knowledge on human endocrinology. These disturbances are studied through the presentation of patient cases exemplified by hypertension, renal failure, infertility, steroid abuse, diabetes, and starvation. This course also studies the treatment of these diseases. The course prerequisite is Human Physiology.

This course focuses on the basic knowledge of biological phenomena and the principles underlying the life of all living organisms. It covers basic concepts of microbiology, plant biology and animal biology. 

This course describe the structures of biological macromolecules, particularly proteins, in relation to their functions in catalysis, ligand binding, membrane transport, and ability to form and function as complexes, and to illustrate the types of experimental techniques used to study macromolecular structure and function. It develops personal skills appropriate to a third-year biological science student, including competence in a range of laboratory techniques; the ability to analyze scientific papers; familiarity with the use of libraries and databases; the ability to present the results of experimental work concisely and accurately, both numerically and in writing, and to write about biochemical and molecular biological topics in a clear and well-organized manner.

This course covers the foundations of interdisciplinary research in marine socio-ecological systems. Marine socio-ecological components, their importance, and major challenges are reviewed. The content is centered around the themes of Nature, Food, and Society. Specialized training by the Wageningen University library is provided. Real-life challenges for marine socio-ecological systems are used to illustrate the complexity and co-dependency of such systems and to create a tangible framework for the in-depth knowledge required to solve such complex challenges. The course introduces the most relevant foundational knowledge and approaches of the main disciplines involved and the importance of temporal and spatial scales of land-sea interactions. Cases are complemented with day excursions. Students study material individually but also discuss and practice the key concepts and questions in peer-learning groups with a coach. At the end of each week, students perform a mandatory ungraded self-assessment, for which they must score 80% to pass. Students complete a project in small groups, in which they are asked to apply the theory to contribute to the solution of a complex marine problem or challenge. The students write a script and present the results in a knowledge clip.