Biological Sciences

This course covers the high throughput nucleotide sequencing technologies (ChIP-seq, DNA-seq, RNA-seq, single cell), epigenetics, circulating DNA, and mutational load. Topics also include cancer molecular databases, data extraction and analysis, and an introduction to the use of NGS software and coding.

This course introduces the fundamentals and methodology on research of molecular evolution. Topics: evolutionary changes and patterns of sequences, methods for phylogenetic analyses, and inferring sites under positive selection. The course also examines recent advances of molecular evolution studies on phylogenomics, horizontal gene transfer, and genome evolution. Recommended prerequisites include evolution, genetics or equivalent subjects. Laboratory practices are offered to provide familiarity with data retrieving and analyses. Homework assignments are distributed weekly, which require substantial extra work time.

This course examines the natural functioning of coasts and oceans, including the critical role oceans play in the environmental, social and economic well-being of communities worldwide. With a sharp focus on Australia and the Asia-Pacific, it looks at solutions to the challenges facing oceans, from regenerating marine habitats and reversing biodiversity loss; producing sustainable aquatic foods and products; increasing resilience to sea level rise; and capturing carbon and reducing pollution.

This is a graduate level course that is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. At the end of the course, students will have acquired knowledge on the main morphological, physiological and molecular responses of higher plants to environmental cues and the basic mechanisms of tolerance and adaptation to adverse conditions. They learn about how plants contribute to air quality by the release of biotic particulates and by interfering with air pollutants derived from anthropogenic activities. Due to changes in plant distribution in relation to climate change, students become acquainted with the contribution of alien species to the release of such biotic particulates. Students also learn about methods employed in aerobiology for the quantitative and qualitative assessment of pollen and other air-borne allergens. They gain the capacity to interpret data and critically read scientific literature relating to this topic. Course contents Module 1: role of native and alien plants on air quality synthetic description of plant anatomy and cytology; the adaptive strategies of plants to different environmental conditions; alien plants; aerobiology; pollen and pollination; main airborne bio-allergens: pollens and fungi; food allergens of plant origin and respiratory allergens of pollen origin; role of plants as organisms able to monitor the environmental quality and to influence it through the release of aero-dispersed biological material such as pollens; possible use of plants in environmental phytoremediation. Course contents Module 2: plant resilience to environmental stress; the course will deal with the main responses of higher plants to environmental cues and basic mechanisms of tolerance and adaptation to adverse conditions; introduction to plants and abiotic stress factors associated with climate change; overview of abiotic stress responses in plants at various levels: morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular; the role of compatible solutes in preventing damage under stress conditions; oxidative stress, ROS homeostasis, and the importance of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants; responses and management of salinity stress in plants; symbiotic interactions between plants and soil microorganisms under environmental stress; plant hormones: definition, classes, modes of action and involvement in abiotic stress; gene expression and environmental changes; involvement of microRNAs, transcription factors, and epigenetic changes in stress responses; abiotic stress and secondary metabolites, including VOCs.

The course reviews vision and other types of photoreception, olfaction, taste, hearing, equilibrium, mechanoreception, pressure reception, electroreception, magnetoreception, and senses for temperature and heat radiation. All senses are studied comparatively across the animal kingdom. A range of methods in physiology, ethology, and human psychophysics are taught and used during the course. The course is divided into sections covering different levels of organization. The sections include: the molecular machinery of sensory receptors; the design and function of sensory organs; neuroanatomy, neural processing, and integration of sensory information; and the role of sensory information in behavior and in the adaptation of animals to their environment (sensory ecology). Towards the end of the course, each student carries out a major practical project specializing in one area of sensory biology. The project results are discussed at a full-day symposium organized at a field station.