Wed. August 23: Philosophy of Science Assignment: Please read this web page. Fri. August 25: Assignment: Read the book "The Double Helix" by James Watson Mon. August 28: Continue discussing the lessons of Watson's autobiography. Pre-Crick-Watson Knowledge About Genes What Watson Knew Questions for discussion of Watson and Crick Topics that we might consider discussing this semester    [Word document] The first page was handed out in class on Monday, but the second page wasn't photocopied. Please look at this before Wednesday. Other suggestions of topics will be welcome.     Fri. September 1: Osteoporosis; Electric Fields in tissues; Transmembrane voltage functions. Please read these notes before the next class. Wed. September 6: Wikipedia page on the epiphyseal plate In particular, look at this image from this page   Fri. September 8: some videos of moving sponge cells and macrophages   Mon. September 11: Please read the following for Wednesday: Helicobacter pylori as the cause of gastric ulcers   Wed. September 13: Begin autoimmune diseases: Please read for Friday Notes on autoimmune diseases Multiple sclerosis There is a somewhat longer version of the notes on autoimmune diseases on my web site for Biology 441 last spring, including some illustrations that you may find useful: http://www.albertkharris.com/2017_immunology.html Fri. September 15: [posted Thursday 3:30 pm] Another Wikipedia link on MS that's worth a look: It's long-winded, but tantalizing in some of its details.   Mon. September 18: continuing with multiple sclerosis: What goes wrong in MS MS treatments. A quote about the "prohibitively expensive" cost of a cancer cure that works. This is also relevant to treatments for MS and other autoimmune diseases. Questions to think about, for class discussion   Mon. September 18: Please read the following for Wednesday: Lupus, an autoimmune disease   Wed. September 20: Choosing topics for reports   Groups for reports (download Word document)   Fri. September 22: Some questions about immunity that deserve more attention   Wed. October 4: Why "detecting non-self" is a misunderstanding of how the immune system works   Fri. October 6: Unsolved problems relating to embryology   Mon. October 9: Questions about autoimmunity, for discussion on Wednesday   Wed. October 11: Please read Chapter 10 in the book Cell and Matrix Mechanics, edited by Roland Kaunas and Assaf Zemel. Written assignment on this chapter, due Monday, October 16.   Mon. October 23: handout on formation of anatomical structures   Fri. October 27: handout on some orphan unsolved problems   Wed. November 1: handout on embryonic regulation   Fri. November 3: From this course in fall 2000: http://labs.bio.unc.edu/harris/Courses/biol166/math1draft.html This contains links to short programs that I wrote in Pascal. We used to be able to run these programs directly on your computer, by clicking on their names, but unfortunately they no longer work. We need someone to translate them into Python, Java or some other web-compatible language, so that students will be able to run these programs again. If you have these skills, please let me know! ---------- The scanning EM image of a HeLa cell rounding up. (A printout of this image was included in the "Dozen Questions" handout but this link will give you the color version.) Sometime when you're thinking about this, Google "pizza slices stringy cheese images".   Wed. November 8: questions for discussion in class on Friday   Fri. November 10: more questions, for discussion in class next week   Mon. November 13: making theories, curing cancer, and other topics   Wed. November 15: more on genetic screens, dermatomes, gradients, and other topics   Fri. November 17: bird leg bones and other unexpected phenomena   Mon. November 27: atherosclerosis   Wed. November 29: macrophages   Fri. Dec 1: more on atherosclerosis good picture of an atherosclerotic artery, from Wikipedia   cancer   Mon. Dec 4: questions about cancer   Overview and Conclusions     ---------------------------------------------------------------- Format of the final exam. review questions for the final exam More questions were added Friday at 12:30 and at 3:15. There will be more yet. A few more questions were added Saturday at 7:15 pm, and three more on Sunday at 1:00 pm. No more questions will be added.   ---------------------------------------------------------------- ***************************** James Watson mentions that he was stimulated to go into science by reading the book "Microbe Hunters," by Paul De Kruif, when he was a boy. This same book is credited by every scientific biography I have read, and it also stimulated me when I read it at about age 10. There is a YouTube video called "Paul De Kruif: The Microbe Hunter and Author" presented by John Lehman, who is a Professor and administrator at ECU medical school. This is nearly an hour long, and is not required, but you may find it interesting. Please do read the article at this URL: http://www.im.microbios.org/01march98/09%20Summers.pdf From the Wikipedia article about about "Microbe Hunters": "...Paul de Kruif... 1926 book, Microbe Hunters.. a bestseller for a lengthy period... has remained high on lists of recommended reading for science and ...an inspiration for many aspiring physicians and scientists." This entire book is posted on the web, but is NOT assigned reading for this course: https://laurieximenez.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/1a_microbehunters_pauldekruif.pdf   Another book worth reading, but not required, is the novel "Arrowsmith" by Sinclair Lewis. You can get the entire text on line here. Quotes from the Wikipedia article about the novel "Arrowsmith": "Arrowsmith is arguably the earliest major novel to deal with the culture of science." "This novel has been inspirational for several generations of pre-medical and medical students." "Professional jealousy, institutional pressures, greed, stupidity, and negligence... also tireless dedication, and respect for the scientific method and intellectual honesty." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ PLEASE NOTICE THE FOLLOWING: This course requires the equivalent of a term paper, which is due to be turned in no later than the week before Thanksgiving. How to write this paper is described in the link below. You have to find a published research paper, the conclusions of which have turned out to be seriously wrong. That doesn't mean "fraudulent" and it also doesn't just mean that progress has shown the truth to be more complicated. Specific examples of appropriate papers will be discussed in class. The Dreaded Erroneous Research Paper Assignment Assigned class reports and participation in class discussion will also be part of the grade.