John Hopkins University - Evolution Today
- Offered byCoursera
Evolution Today at Coursera Overview
Duration | 20 hours |
Start from | Start Now |
Total fee | Free |
Mode of learning | Online |
Difficulty level | Beginner |
Official Website | Explore Free Course  |
Credential | Certificate |
Evolution Today at Coursera Highlights
- 67% started a new career after completing these courses.
- Earn a shareable certificate upon completion.
- Flexible deadlines according to your schedule.
Evolution Today at Coursera Course details
- In this course you will learn how evolution works. You will develop an understanding of evolutionary processes and their formative power. You will see how evolution has shaped biodiversity, and continuously influences our daily life. Evolution impacts human endeavors as varied as medicine, agriculture, psychology, economy, and culture. It is the major unifying principle for biology and a fundamental natural law. In five weeks we will make evolution accessible for you and help you to recognize evolutionary processes around you, in nature as well as in society. We make use of the unique collection of Naturalis, the natural history museum in Leiden, but also take you to the field. Using classical and up-to-date examples, we will show you how scientists address evolutionary questions. In the last module, we will have a look at the future. How will humans evolve? And how do we influence our own evolution and that of other organisms?
- This course is aimed at anybody with a drive to obtain a deeper, broader, and pragmatic understanding of evolution, including high-school students, BSc (undergraduate) biology students, MSc (graduate) students from other disciplines, medical professionals, conservation officers and educators in museums, libraries, national parks, and schools.
Evolution Today at Coursera Curriculum
Welcome to the course Evolution Today
How to succeed in your online class?
Meet the instructors & the team
Leiden University: Facts & Figures
Community Guidelines
What is your learning path?
Do we change?
Introduction
Natural Selection
Natural Selection in the Field
Dialogue
Sexual selection
Evolution is Everywhere
Observe it with your own eyes!
Online lab simulated evolution
Eyes, HIV and Human Body Height
Science evolves
Natural Selection
Natural Selection in the Field
Human Evolution
Sexual Selection
Test your knowledge
How do we change?
Introduction
DNA
Mutation
Dialogue
Evo-devo
Imperfect weasels
Gene Switches
E-tivity: translating a short human gene
E-tivity: mutations in human genes
E-tivity: playing with Hox-genes
Test your knowledge
Who is this "we" anyway?
Introduction
Levels of Organization
Selfish Units
Supressing Selfishness
Promoting Collaboration
Discussion
The false allure of group selection by Steven Pinker
Distinguishing between Selfish DNA and The Selfish Gene
Selfish cells
Video lecture on behavioral evolution by Robert Sapolsky
Green beards and eusociality in the Red Imported Fire Ant
Units of Selection
The Good of the Species
Single Round Prisoner's Dilemma
Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma
Hamilton's rule
Test your knowledge
How have we (and haven't we) changed?
Introduction
Contingencies
Trade-offs and Compromises
Evolutionary Inertia
Interview with Dr. Paul Ewald
Similarity and relatedness
"Living fossils" and evolutionary inertia
Test your knowledge
How will we change?
How will we change?
The Future Evolution of Humans
Human-Induced Rapid Evolutionary Change (HIREC)
Novel Ecosystems
Evolutionary Thinking
Current evolution in humans
Videos on fast evolution in guppy fish
Op-ed on novel ecosystems from the New York Times
An evolutionary computer game ("Niche")
Selection in humans today
Cities and caves
Tele-coupling
Test your knowledge
Final Exam of the Course
Evolution Today at Coursera Admission Process
Important Dates
Other courses offered by Coursera
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?