Paleontology is the scientific study of life in the geologic past. Developmental Biology is the study of how the genes in a fertilized egg control the development of a multicellular organism. In this course students use these two areas of study to address the evolution of organisms on earth, focusing on the vertebrates. Mongolia is a key location for the discovery of paleontological evidence, particularly of dinosaurs. It has scientific and historical significance in the field. We will use an understanding of paleontology to study the developmental biology of vertebrates. Through fossils, and fossil genes, we will investigate how extant (current) organisms have come to adapt to life on earth.
This course may not be used to satisfy one of the upper division electives for the Biology, Molecular and Cellular Biology, or Natural Science Biology majors or minors.