Biological Sciences

This course presents the essentials of Biochemistry. It covers the structures, functions, and interactions of biomacromolecules, including proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, DNA, and RNA, which perform many of the activities associated with life. The course provides insight in the specificity and action of enzymes, the bio catalysts of the cell. Further, it explains metabolic pathways that result in the generation of ATP, the major energy currency of the cell. Finally recent biochemical understandings on genome editing are presented that revolutionize treatment of diseases at the level of correcting mutated genes (gene therapy). Prerequisites for this course are an introduction to biology or chemistry.

This course provides the foundation of modern food microbiology by using relevant examples from the food industry. The course covers the following themes: growth and survival of microorganisms in foods, preservation, food spoilage, food pathogens, fermented foods, genetically modified organisms, and rapid detection methods.

This course studies temperate and tropical marine systems and their associated organisms. The marine habitats include coral reefs, mangrove forests, and seagrass beds. The first marine biology field program takes place on North Stradbroke Island at the Moreton Bay Research Station and includes the exploration of the major marine environments that occur on the island. The second major field program is conducted at Heron Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef. Class-based activities are undertaken at the research station that introduce the geomorphology, terrestrial ecology, management, marine biology and ecology of coral reefs. Following this, students conduct group research projects and present results. Research reports are prepared to international journal manuscript standards.

This course builds upon compulsory level 4 courses with a review of the muscle cell and an understanding of the biochemical processes involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and aminoacids to provide the energy for muscle contraction. It also provides an understanding of how metabolism changes and is regulated in different types of exercise, and the role of nutrition in modulating these changes. 

This research internship program offers selected students the opportunity to participate in research projects or work as an intern in research centers or organizations at Yonsei University. Students are expected to participate in research projects for approximately 20 hours per week throughout the program. Projects will vary depending on placement. Graded Pass/No pass only.

This course covers the regulation of translation, post-translational products, and transport between the nucleus and cytoplasm of these products, including all enzymes and cofactors involved in each process. Concepts are taught through the elaboration and discussion of research done in the field and papers are presented by both professors and students. All concepts are also evaluated in their role in cancer and other various pathologies.

The movies have long exploited biology as a source of bankable plot material. This trend has been even more intensified recently as biological discoveries and biotechnology advanced. Filmmakers capitalize recent discoveries to produce movies with science-based plots to an increasingly aware public. In view of their mass appeal, such movies play a significant role in society as disseminators of scientific facts and misinformation. They thus serve as a useful starting point for exploring various aspects of the relationship between science and the public perception of science. This course discusses various biological topics drawn from movies; explores public misconceptions and naiveté about science that are perpetuated by movies, as well as the extent to which such movies borrow from, or in some cases, even predict scientific fact. This course requires weekly screenings of a feature-length movie prior the one-hour lecture in the classroom. Films and topics are organized around biological themes. Discussion of films that feature different biological transformations focus on distinguishing between science fiction and science fact, understanding the uses of the underlying principles in scientific research, and exploring real world analogies to such fictional concepts as fly-human chimeras and reconstructed dinosaurs. Movies and related discussion topics include LORENZO'S OIL (1992) and the biology of rare genetic diseases; MISSION TO MARS (2000) and origin of life and life from other planets; ICE AGE (2009) and the origin of humans; OUTBREAK (1995) and the small pox virus debate.

Behavior is the front-line interaction of organisms with their environment, allowing them to respond rapidly to changes in the environment that define the Anthropocene. Determining the mechanisms of such behavioral responses and how they evolved is fundamental for understanding how organisms adjust to their changing environment. Behavioral ecology examines these responses in the context of the natural environment, bringing the study of behavioral ecology center stage in environmental research. This course unites the classical study of animal behavior, using Niko Tinbergen’s four ‘whys’ of behavior as a framework, with theory on the role of phenotypic plasticity in changing environments. An understanding of the function and mechanisms of animal behavior is timely in coping with current social, economic, and environmental problems in our changing planet.