Medical Evolution

Catalog description

Medical Evolution explores evolutionary theory with a specific eye towards how it impacts health and healthcare. Evolution topics discussed include natural selection, artificial selection, genetic drift, macro/micro evolution, speciation, molecular evolution, and population ecology. Examples and discussion will specifically emphasize how modern medicine has been shaped by human evolutionary history. The course will further explore coevolution with microbes, nutrition, reproduction, and will look at cancer from an evolutionary perspective. Finally, the course will include a seminar component with discussion around literature that discusses the intersection of evolution and health. prereq: C- or better in BIOL 2311