Two general themes underlie much of the material covered in this course: (1) examining genetic variation from an evolutionary perspective; (2) considering the information in the genome (uncovering the patterns and processes of evolution from genetic data using bioinformatic analyses). The first half of the course will provide the necessary grounding in molecular evolution to understand the generation of genetic variation, including DNA structure and replication, mutation, neutral theory, selection, genome evolution and the genetics of complex traits. The second half of the course will put these principles into practice, covering the essential tools in bioinformatic analysis, database searching, sequence alignment, phylogenetic analysis and molecular dating.

On satisfying the requirements of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Describe and apply a  variety of methods in advanced genetics and bioinformatics and explain their evolution
2. Describe and evaluate current research procedures across a range of topics in genetics
3. Evaluate and interpret  current literature in phylogenetics and related areas of bioinformatic practice
4. Design and evaluate research methodology in the context of bioinformatic analysis of DNA sequence data

Assessment will be based on:

• Mid term test (30%; LO 1, 2)
• Research essay (30%; LO 2, 3)
• Practical exercise in applied phylogenetics (40%; LO 1-4)

Three lectures per week and up to eight practical classes/computer labs

BIOL2151 or BIOL3161