Biological Sciences

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. The course is aimed at the comprehension of the fundamental principles of how ecological systems work. It focuses on the ecological problems caused by human activities as well. Fundamental and applied aspects of ecology are emphasized. An understanding of the scope of the problems facing us (climate change, unsustainable use of resources, pollution, extinctions, and the erosion of natural biodiversity) and the means to counter and solve these problems depend on a proper grasp of ecological fundamentals. Although the course analyzes all the main types of ecosystems, it works in particular on aquatic ecosystems, covering concepts such as sustainable development, ecosystem services, and environmental monitoring in detail.

The course content is divided as follows:

1. Introduction: the cultural roots of ecology, the aims of ecology, the levels of ecological organization, temporal and spatial scales, ecology as a science, ecological methods and tools
2. Interactions between organisms and their environment: ecological niche, life cycles and energy acquisition
3. The populations: life histories, growth models, life cycles, carrying capacity, the concept of metapopulation, examples of methods of sampling and estimations
4. Biotic interactions: competition, predation, parasitism, facilitation and other positive interactions, direct and indirect interactions
5. Communities and biodiversity: community structure, ecological successions, distribution, biodiversity and biodiversity indices, factors affecting biodiversity.
6. Ecosystems and their dynamics: food chains and food webs, ecosystem functioning, trophic cascades, disturbances and resilience, regime shifts, alternative stable states.
7. Ecosystem, general concepts: energy flow, biogeochemical cycles, biomass on earth, decomposition and detritivores, biomes, microclimate and Biotic pump.
8. Different types of ecosystems: lentic ecosystems abiotic dynamics, lentic ecosystems communities, terrestrial ecosystems, biomes and microclimate.
9. River ecosystems: lotic environments and their catchments: Hydrology, geomorphology and river community.
10. Natural depuration process (NBSs): riparian ecotones, characteristics and function, wetlands, natural phytodepuration systems, other NBSs.
11. Threats to biological diversity: habitat degradation and loss, pollution, eutrophication, overexploitation of natural resources, invasive species, climate changes.
12. Introduction to conservation biology: the natural capital, ecosystem goods and services
13. Conservation of populations and ecosystems: vulnerability and conservation status, reintroductions, restorations, protected areas, spatial planning, current legislations, examples of management of anthropogenic exploitation, success conservation and management stories, monitoring

The purpose of this course is to introduce recent breakthroughs in the physical and biological sciences that are now being explored for biomedical applications. The topics come directly from the research expertise of the lecturers, all of whom are young principal investigators in the new research institutes at the UM: MERLN and M4I. The course covers a broad range of topics, including nanomaterials for regenerative medicine, supramolecular biomaterials, big data and computer learning, electron microscopy, imaging and diagnostic mass spectrometry, and structural biology of tuberculosis. Gain firsthand experience of scientific research taking place at the UM and have the opportunity to visit research laboratories as part of a demonstration of some of the topics discussed in the lectures. In addition to a final content-based oral exam, there are two papers for evaluation. For their midterm, students choose a recent discovery reported in the press and investigate the scientific claims and integrity of the reporting. In the final paper, the student acts as the reporter, and write an opinion piece on a topic of research in either MERLN or M4I; this report is informed by an interview with one of the lecturers. Prerequisites include at least one of: SCI2017 Organic Chemistry, SCI2037 Cell Biology, or SCI2038 Physics. Highly motivated students with a different background should speak to the course coordinators. 

This survey course covers an extensive review of the human body's structural framework and describes how it functions. The course introduces terms in anatomy and physiology; students get to know the body's anatomical structures and gain insight into how the structures and systems function in sickness and health.  

Topics include The human body: reading the map, Cells, Tissues and systems, Skeletal system, Muscular system, Integumentary system, Nervous system, Endocrine system, Cardiovascular system, Respiratory system, Lymphatic system, Immune system, Urinary system, Reproductive system.  

This course examines the way that models of inheritance have impacted upon politics and society over the last two hundred years. It covers the disturbing biopolitical history of genetics right up to the present day, unpacking the relationship between science and politics whenever the idea of breeding better humans has been mooted. 

This is a research project carried out under the guidance of a supervisor at the Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain (SIDB) at the University of Edinburgh.

This is an independent research course with research arranged between the student and faculty member. The specific research topics vary each term and are described on a special project form for each student. A substantial paper is required. The number of units varies with the student’s project, contact hours, and method of assessment, as defined on the student’s special study project form.

Within a theoretical and learning-by-doing context, this course focuses on solving problems in the field of wildlife ecology and conservation. The problem-based learning approach is based on the idea that it is an effective and durable way to develop into a professional. Lectures provide the needed theory, and assignments are offered to obtain hands on experience with quantitative data analyses. During these assignments, students use advanced methodologies and software (for example excel, R, and conservation planning programs) to address problems spanning a wide range of wildlife conservation issues such as threats to species, genetic analysis, population viability analysis, the role of protected areas, the human context to conservation, and ecosystem/landscape management and planning. Furthermore, students work in groups on a case study that allow them to address species conservation issues using advanced methodologies learned earlier during the course. A working experience with excel is required (ability to make graphs and perform basic calculations and statistics). Assumed Knowledge in PEN10503 Ecology I; PEN20503 Ecology II; WEC20803 Applied Animal Ecology.

In today's world, data-driven science is paramount, and biology is no exception. This course delves into the principles of data-driven biology, exploring platform technologies and their applications across various domains, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, interactomics, and other 'omics ' branches of biology. 

Students engage in discussions about the influence of 'omics' on human disease research and medicine. This course helps students to understand the latest trends in data-driven bio research and forecasts for the future bio industry. The course builds fundamental understanding and application skills in various omics technologies, and explores the past, present, and future of genomic medicine in relation to paradigm shifts in healthcare.  

The key topics of the course include the following: 1. Introduction of Omics and data-driven biology 2. Genome Projects 3. Next-generation sequencing technology (NGS) 4. Transcriptomics with DNA-chip and NGS 5. Proteomics with Mass Spectrometry 6. Variomics (human genetic variation, genotype-to-phenotype) 7. Pharmacogenomics 8. Epigenomics 9. Regulomics 10. Interactomics (molecular interactions) 11. Metagenomics (Microbiomics) 12. Single-cell Omics (Single Cell Transcriptomics) 13. Cancer Genomics 14. Cancer Immunogenomics. 

Prerequisites: General Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics 

This course examines key concepts and principles underpinning conservation and their application to conservation practice. Drawing on real-world examples from terrestrial and marine ecosystems, the course highlights the challenges and broader impacts of biodiversity conservation. It explores questions such as: Who owns wildlife? Who are the winners and losers of conservation interventions? Does it matter if tigers go extinct? Can hunting benefit conservation?

By the end of the course, students gain knowledge of the fundamental principles of heredity; they are familiar with the nature, transmission, expression, and variability of genetic information and are able to rigorously interpret genetic experimental data. The course content is divided as follows:

• Introduction to genetics
• Mendelian Genetics
  • Gregor Mendel and basic principles of heredity; monohybrid crosses (dominance and segregation); dihybrid crosses (independent assortment)
  • Predicting the outcome of genetic crosses; probability and Chi-Square test
• Cell division, mitosis and meiosis, chromosomal basis of inheritance
  • Sexual reproduction, mitosis and meiosis. Chromosome theory of inheritance
  • Sex determination and sex-linked inheritance
  • Dosage compensation in mammals
• Human pedigree analysis
• Extensions and modifications of basic mendelian principles
  • Allelic variation and gene function; why some alleles are dominant and other recessive; types of dominance, reduced penetrance, lethal alleles.
  • Genetic heterogeneity, gene interactions and epistasis.
• Linkage, recombination, gene mapping in Eukaryotes
  • Linked genes and crossing over; Constructing genetic maps with recombination frequencies
  • Linkage analysis in human; DNA polymorphisms as genetic markers; the lod-score method
• Overview of genetics of bacterial and viral genetic systems
• Genetic variation, DNA repair and recombination
  • Genetic variability; mutation and polymorphisms; types of genetic variants; molecular basis of mutations; point mutations and their consequences; mutagenesis
  • DNA repair mechanisms; DNA recombination mechanisms
  • Variation in chromosome number and structure; mechanisms of structural variation
• Population genetics
  • Variation in populations; the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
  • Factors that alter allele and genotype frequencies in populations
• Overview of basic techniques in molecular genetics and genomics
  • Basic techniques used to identify, amplify, clone and sequence genes; DNA libraries; genetic, cytogenetic and physical maps
  • The Human Genome Project; map based cloning of genes; association and linkage disequilibrium
  • Analyzing genomic variation
• Introduction to complex traits
  • Heritability
  • Mapping complex traits

The course also includes LABORATORY practicals:

• Genomic DNA extraction from buccal swab cells
• PCR amplification  
• SNP Genotyping  by restriction enzyme digestion