Introduction and Purpose
This course is an exploration into the unifying themes of Biology. Coursework encompasses the big ideas in life science; the overall focus is on the interaction of systems, within the body and within the biosphere. Students will acquire a deeper comprehension of what exactly it means for something to be alive and how it interacts with its environment. Students will finish this course with an understanding of cells, including: how they use energy, replicate, and differentiate through gene expression. Students will study the probability of inheritance on a genetic level and apply the principles to developmental patterns. Students will be able to clearly see the bigger picture through studying something as small as a cell and seeing that it can be directly related to diversity within our biosphere. The course later follows the interactions of biotic and abiotic factors that lead to speciation and radiation on Earth. The course examines how matter and energy cycle throughout the biosphere and how these cycles affect living organisms. It culminates in an examination of the human body and its systems with an emphasis on the nervous and immune systems.