FRS 002F —
Sec. 001 —
(2 unit) — CRN 65526 — F 3:10-5:00pm — TB 137
From the Big Bang to DNA
Instructor: M. Eric Gershwin, Department of Rheumatology/Allergy and
Clinical Immunology, School of Medicine
Description: Life on earth is an intricate set of checks and
balances. Indeed, the evolution of man can be studied by the
appearance of specific
genes that have mutated as well as by sequence of mitochondrial DNA.
These methods
of studying evolution are as applicable to changes in height in human species
to those that are involved in protecting humans against infections.
For example,
it appears that a mutation that occurred during the Bubonic plague makes some
people in the 21st century less susceptible to HIV infection. Indeed,
this discussion
is even broader. For example, all matter is related to the birth and death of
stars, a science coined bioastronomy. Indeed, bioastronomy has become a unique
discipline which attempts to integrate both the evolution of matter
with the evolution
of life. The course will begin with a description of the big bang, introductory
cosmology, and an understanding of how matter was created. We will discuss the
immune system in evolution, including such issues as smallpox and
SARS. The course
will conclude with discussions of the future of earth and of life
itself. To enable
students to present to their peers and to critically read recent
scientific papers
which deal with the evolution of man in the context of the evolution
of the Universe.
Students will participate in a class-wide discussion. They will walk away with
an understanding of man's place in the cosmos and how life originated.
Format: This will be an audience-participated seminar series
in which students will present, followed by a discussion by Dr. Gershwin. The
first class will be a lecture by Dr. Gershwin entitled "Astrobiology: The
Way We Were and the Way We Are Today." Thereafter, students will
be assigned
individual topics and will meet individually with Dr. Gershwin to
obtain selected
reading lists. There will be no formal text but there will be required reading.
The course will meet for two hours per week in the late afternoon or
early evening.
Students will have an additional 2-3 hours per week of reading.
Grading:
Students will receive a grade based on class participation (1/3). Each student
will also be graded on their oral presentation (1/3). Finally, there
will either
be a written final essay of no longer than 3,000 words, or a class
debate in which
the class will be divided into two groups to "argue" in favor of or
against a hypothesis (1/3).
About the Instructor: Dr. Eric Gershwin is Professor
of Medicine
and Chief of the Division of Clinical Immunology at the University of
California
at Davis. He has been on the faculty since 1974. He received his
bachelor’s
degree from Syracuse University and his medical degree from Stanford
University.
Dr. Gershwin trained in immunology at the National Institutes of Health and is
considered a world authority on human immune responses. He has
published 20 books
and more than 500 experimental articles in immunology and has won international
recognition and prizes for his work on autoimmune disease. Dr.
Gershwin also has
training and study in astronomy/astrophysics at the Center for
Astronomy and Astrophysics
from Swinburne University in Melbourne, Australia.