BZ 220 Introduction to Evolution

Overview of Course

Evolution is the fundamental, unifying principle of biology, explaining the diversity, history, and unity of all life on Earth through descent with modification. In this course, we will leverage the immersive environmental, cultural, and academic journey of Semester at Sea to explore evolutionary biology, including the mechanisms that drive the diversity of life on Earth. We will examine topics including genetic variability, natural selection and other evolutionary processes, speciation, and phylogenetics and apply those concepts to understanding microevolutionary and macroevolutionary processes, human evolution, and modern biodiversity.