Viruses

Catalog description

This course will introduce students to the concept of viruses as nonliving parasites that prey upon microbes, plants, and animals. Students will explore various aspects of viruses, including molecular composition and structure, host specificity, viral diseases, and viruses as a cause of genomic evolution. The origins and evolution of viruses will be discussed, including how zoonotic viruses such as Zika and COVID-19 gained the new ability to infect humans. (Prerequisite: BIOL241)