Genetics: Population Genetics and Human Traits
How do we know what we know about heredity? Enhance your scientific thinking and experimental design skills with this in-depth adventure through genetics.
Genetics: Population Genetics and Human Traits
How do we know what we know about heredity? Enhance your scientific thinking and experimental design skills with this in-depth adventure through genetics.
This is the third genetics course in a three-part series. Building upon the concepts from biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology from our 7.00x Introductory Biology MOOC, these genetics courses go to a new level of depth. How do we determine the content of genomes? What can allele frequencies tell us about the genetics of different populations? And why does this matter to human society?
What you'll learn
- How to appreciate the applications of genetics to everyday life.
- How to apply terminology appropriately to concepts in genetics.
- How to justify the use of specific sequencing methods for answering genetic questions.
- How to interpret the patterns and driving forces of genetic variation within and between human populations.
- How to analyze results from genome-wide association studies.
- How to use a quantitative approach to determine genetic features of different populations.
- How to explain the impact of genetic tools on human society
Prerequisites
Undergraduate introductory genetics and and molecular biology (as found in 7.00x Introductory Biology, 7.03.1x Genetics, 7.03.2x Genetics)
Meet your instructors
-
Associate Professor of Biology; Core Member, Whitehead Institute; Graduate Officer -
Class of 1922 Career Development Professor of Biology, Core Member of the Whitehead Institute -
Director of Blended and Online Initiatives; Lecturer, Department of Biology -
Instructor of Blended and Online Initiatives, Department of Biology -
MITx Digital Learning Fellow, Department of Biology -
PhD candidate, Health Sciences and Technology, MIT
Mary Gehring
Mary Gehring
Associate Professor of Biology; Core Member, Whitehead Institute; Graduate Officer
Mary Gehring’s lab focuses on plant epigenetics — that is, the heritable information that influences cellular function but is not encoded in the DNA sequence itself. They use genetic, genomic and molecular biology approaches to study the fidelity of epigenetic inheritance and the dynamics of epigenomic reprogramming during reproduction, primarily in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. More specifically, they investigate the interplay among repetitive sequences, DNA methylation and chromatin structure in these dynamic processes.
Learn more from the lab website.
Olivia Corradin
Olivia Corradin
Class of 1922 Career Development Professor of Biology, Core Member of the Whitehead Institute
Olivia Corradin is a Class of 1922 Career Development Professor of Biology and Core Member of the Whitehead Institute. Olivia’s lab studies genetic and epigenetic variation that contributes to human disease by disrupting gene expression programs. They utilize biological insights into the mechanisms of gene regulation to determine the impact of disease-associated variants on cellular function. They aim to identify actionable insights into disease pathogenesis by studying the confluence of genetic and epigenetic risk factors of human diseases, including multiple sclerosis and opioid use disorder. Learn more from the lab website.
Mary Ellen Wiltrout
Mary Ellen Wiltrout
Director of Blended and Online Initiatives; Lecturer, Department of Biology
Mary Ellen earned her Ph.D. from the Department of Biology at MIT in 2009 and returned in 2013 to create 7.00x Introduction to Biology with Professor Eric Lander. Mary Ellen oversees the execution and evolution of MIT Department of Biology’s digital learning strategy. The group develops digital learning content for MIT students, advises evidence-based teaching practices, creates MITx courses, and studies the impact of design on learner engagement in their research. In 2016, Mary Ellen earned the MIT Infinite Mile Award. In 2019, their work received a silver award at the Reimagine Education science of learning category.
Darcy Gordon
Darcy Gordon
Instructor of Blended and Online Initiatives, Department of Biology
As a core member of the MITx Biology course development team, Darcy blends her pedagogical and scientific expertise to foster authentic learning experiences online, including the creation of visual resources and assessments. Previously, she completed her Ph.D. in the Traniello lab studying the evolutionary neurobiology of social insects, and additionally developed curricula for outreach programs while at Boston University.
Caitlin Friend
Caitlin Friend
MITx Digital Learning Fellow, Department of Biology
Caitlin Friend is a Digital Learning Lab Fellow postdoctoral associate for the Department of Biology and former Learning Technologist. She completed her PhD with her project entitled “The Roles of the Helicase Double-Hexamer Complex and the ssDNA-Binding Protein RPA During Eukaryotic DNA Replication" in Steve Bell’s lab at MIT. Since January 2020, Caitlin has been a core member of the MITx Biology course development team.
Mingyu Yang
Mingyu Yang
PhD candidate, Health Sciences and Technology, MIT
Mingyu (Ming) Yang is a PhD student in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics at MIT with interests in educational research and the application to classroom practice. Ming helped develop the 7.06x Cell Biology course series and continues with the 7.03x Genetics series.