- Nutrition Biology

Catalog description

This course is for non-majors only and is intended to promote scientific literacy. Topics will vary but each edition of the course will focus on a specific topic as a vehicle for exploring the essentials of biology and the scientific method. This course satisfies the G.E. lab science requirement. Biology 100 may not be counted toward the major or minor in biology. Three class periods and one laboratory weekly. The Fall 2025 topic will focus on vegan, ketogenic diet, paleo diet, intermittent fasting… What (and how) are humans supposed to eat?   The types of diets and diet ideologies are endless.  This course combines the latest research in nutrition science, genomics, and evolutionary biology as well as comparative anatomy and physiology to understand the biological principles that underpin the complex nutritional requirements of humans.  Does fasting make you live longer? Is the fat, carbohydrate, and protein ratio in the Western diet contributing to the obesity epidemic?  How does our diet affect our health? In the lab portion of the course, we will use model organisms such as slime molds, and fruit flies and perform animal dissections to give insight into these and other questions in the field of nutrition biology.