Evolutionary Biology

During this module students will gain appreciation for life’s diversity, the processes that generate such diversity, and the evidence for evolution. They will understand basic concepts such as descent with modification, homology, species classification, genetic drift, natural selection and sexual selection. They will understand that mutations and genetic variation appear at random in populations, and that few mutations ever get fixed in populations. They will also understand how genomes evolve, how novel traits originate and how scientists reconstruct the history of life.