Topics

Grouped by category:

Browsing this list may reveal, more easily than searching through the index/glossary, topics you wish to examine.

Animals

• Caenorhabditis elegans: a model organism
• Drosophila melanogaster
• Invertebrates
• Monotremes
• Vertebrates
• Zebrafish

Behavior

• Innate Behavior
• Circadian Rhythms in Drosophila and Mammals
• Honeybee Navigation
• Learned Behavior
• Magnetoreceptors
• Avoiding Predation
• Pheromones
• Taxes

Biochemistry

• ATP
• Bioluminescence
• Cellular respiration: [general] [energy relationships]
• Chemiosmosis - demonstration
• Enzymes
• Enzyme Kinetics
• G proteins
• Gel blotting
• Glycolysis
• Metabolism (with links to specific examples)
• Intermediary metabolism
• Photorespiration and C₄ plants
• Photosynthesis: Pathway of Carbon Fixation: the Calvin cycle
• Photosynthesis: The Role of Light: the so-called light reactions
• Photosynthesis: energy relationships
• Reactive oxygen species (ROS)
• Second messengers
• Serine proteases
• The Urea cycle

Cancer

• Ames Test for mutagens
• Angiogenesis
• BCL-2: the role of this proto-oncogene in leukemia and apoptosis
• Burkitt's Lymphoma: the molecular basis of this B-cell tumor
• Cancer (general discussion)
  
• Cancer: The Causes and Prevention of Cancer as described by Bruce Ames, who has studied these questions for many years
• Cancer: fighting it with inhibitors of angiogenesis
• Cancer Cells in Culture
• Cancer Immunotherapy
• Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML): its molecular basis
• Estimating cancer risks
• Immunotherapy of cancer
• The LD₅₀ test
• Magnetic fields: do they cause cancer?
• Mutations: causes and significance
• Mutations: testing for mutagenic chemicals in bacteria and in mice
• Oncogenes: genes whose disregulation leads to cancer
• Radiation
• Screening for carcinogens using mice
• Tumor Suppressor Genes

Cell Biology

• Active transport
• Adipose tissue
• Animal cells (with links to the various organelles)
• Animal tissues
• Apoptosis
• ATP
• The Cell Cycle
• Cell Junctions
• Cell membranes
• Cell signaling
• Cell-specific gene expression
• Cellular Respiration
• Centrosomes and Centrioles
• Chloroplasts
• Chromatophores
• Chromosomes
• Cilia
• Culture media for growing cells
• The Cytoskeleton: actin microfilaments, intermediate filaments, microtubules.
• Endocytosis and Exocytosis
• Endoplasmic reticulum
• Facilitated diffusion and membrane channels
• Fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS)
• G proteins
• Golgi apparatus
• Glycolysis
• Intermediary metabolism
• Junctions between cells
• Kinetics of membrane transport
• Limiting Dilution Analysis
• Lysosomes and Peroxisomes
• Mitosis and Meiosis
• The Nucleus
• Photosynthesis
  • Light reactions
  • Calvin cycle ("dark reactions")
  • Energy relationships
  • How its details were discovered
• Plant cells
• Polyploidy
• The Proteasome
• Protein Kinesis: How freshly-synthesized proteins are sent to their proper destinations in the cell
• Reporter genes
• Ribosomes
• Second messengers
• Sex Chromosomes
• Stem cells
• Telomeres

Chemistry

• Acids and bases
• Aluminum
• Bond Energy
• Calcium
• Dioxin
• Electronegativity: and types of chemical bonds.
• Elements and atoms
• Free energy
• Hydrogen bonds
• The International System of Units
• Mixtures and compounds
• Molecular weight and the mole
• Parts per million (PPM), etc.
• pH
• Prions
• Pyrosequencing
• Redox potentials

Development

• Aging
• Cleavage
• Embryonic Development: the mechanisms at work in first steps followed by links to descriptions of the mechanisms at work during the later phases
• Embryonic Stem Cells
• Extraembryonic membranes
• Frog Embryology
• Germline vs. Soma: and the biological significance of their distinction
• Homeobox Genes: their role in embryonic development
• The Organizer
• Recapitulation
• Regeneration
• Segmentation: Organizing the Embryo

Diversity of Life

• Barcoding
• Ciliates
• Fungi
• Neurospora crassa
• Plants
• Protists
• Taxonomy
• Volvox
• Yeast

DNA and RNA

• Ames Test for mutagens
• Antisense Oligodeoxynucleotides and their therapeutic potential
• Antisense RNA
• Barcoding
• Base Pairing: in DNA and RNA
• Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP)
• DNA chips
• DNA recombination in meiosis
• DNA Repair
• DNA Replication
• DNA sequencing by the dideoxy method
• DNA vaccines
• The Double Helix: of DNA
• Endoreplication
• Epigenetics
• Expressed Sequence Tags
• Gene Expression in Bacteria
• Gene Therapy: methods and prospects and recent advances
• Genetic recombination in bacteria
• The Genetic Code
• Genome Sizes
• Harlequin chromosomes
• The Hershey-Chase Experiments
• The Human Genome Projects
• Imprinted Genes
• Insulators between genes
• The Meselson-Stahl Experiment
• Molecular polymorphisms
• Mutations: causes and significance
• Mutations: testing for mutagenic chemicals in bacteria and in mice
• Nucleotides
• Operons
• Palindromes
• Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
• Polyploidy
• Promoters
• Pyrosequencing
• Radiation and its effect on DNA
• Recombinant DNA and Gene Cloning
• Restriction Enzymes: the tools upon which molecular biology and biotechnology depend
• Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms (RFLPs): and their use in medical diagnosis and law enforcement
• Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene cluster
• Ribozymes
• RNA editing
• Steroid Response Elements: how steroid hormones regulate gene expression
• Telomeres
• Testing for mutagens in mice
• Transcription of DNA
• Transcription factors
  • isolating
  • footprinting
• Translation of messenger RNA
• Transduction in bacteria
• Transformation in bacteria
• Transgenic Animals
• Transgenic Plants
• Transposons: mobile genetic elements
• The Tryptophan Repressor: how the presence of tryptophan shuts down the genes needed for its synthesis. Includes a stereo view of the molecule bound to the DNA of the Trp operon.

Ecology

• Acid Rain
• Air pollution
• Biological control of pests
• Biomagnification of pesticides
• Biomes
• Carbon cycle
• Chlorination, MX, and the Law of Unintended Consequences
• DDT in food chains
• Dioxin
• Food chains and food webs
• Freshwater ecosystems
• Insecticides
• Marine ecosystems
• Net Productivity of ecosystems
• Nitrogen cycle
• Nitrogen fixation, symbiotic
• Ozone
• Population Biology and the Human Population
• Sewage Treatment
• Soil
• Symbiosis

Evolution

• Endosymbiosis and the origin of eukaryotes
• Evolution and Adaptation
• The Evolution of Body Form in Animals
• Recapitulation
• Geologic eras
• The Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium
• Hominoids
• Kin Selection
• Mars: Is (or was) there life on Mars?
• Mutation and Evolution
• The Origin of Life: abiotic synthesis of organic molecules
• Polymorphisms
• Speciation

General Science

• Epidemiology: the criteria for establishing causation
• Types of Clinical Studies
• Scientific Methods
  • a case study
• Scientific Papers
• Statistical Methods

Genetics

• Crossing Over and Genetic Recombination in Meiosis
• Epigenetics
• "Forward" and "Reverse" genetics
• Gene mapping with three-point crosses
• Genetic linkage and genetic maps
• Genetic Mosaics
• Mapping the genes of T2
• Mendel's monohybrid crosses
• Metagenomics: Exploring the Microbial World
• One Gene - One Enzyme Theory
• Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL)
• rII locus of T4
• The Evidence of Creighton and McClintock
• Transposons: "jumping genes"

Immunology

• AIDS: acquired immune deficiency syndrome
• Allergies
• Anatomy of the immune system
• Antibody affinity
• Antibody-Antigen Binding
• Antigen Presentation: how antigens are "presented" to B cells and T cells
• Antigen Receptors: on B cells and T cells
• Antigen Receptor Diversity: how a virtually limitless variety of antigen-binding sites is created by the immune system
• Asthma: its immunological basis
• B Cells and T Cells: lymphocytes of the immune system
• Cancer Immunotherapy
• Cell-Mediated Immunity
• Clonal selection and immunological memory
• Clonal Selection - experimental evidence
• The Complement System
• Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL)
• Dendritic Cells
• ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay)
• Games Parasites Play: some ways of evading the immune responses of their host
• Histocompatibility Molecules: and their role in eliciting an immune response
• HLA-A2: the structure of a class I histocompatibility molecule
• Immune Tolerance
• The Immunological Synapse
• Inflammation
• Innate Immunity
• Monoclonal Antibodies
• Natural Killer (NK) Cells
• Nude Mice
• Passive Immunity
• Radioimmunoassay
• Regulatory T cells
• T Helper cells
• Transplants: [ organ ] [bone marrow]
• Vaccines

Microbiology

• Anthrax
• Antibiotics
• Archaea
• Bacillus thuringiensis: and the use of its toxin gene in agriculture
• Bacteria (Eubacteria)
• E. coli
• The Rapid Identification of Microorganisms

Molecules

• Acids and bases
• Amino Acids
• ATP
• ATP synthase
• Bond Energy
• Carbohydrates
• Chlorophylls and carotenoids
• Cholesterol
• Chromatography: [affinity] [exclusion] [paper]
• Collagens
• Drugs: how new drugs are tested
• Electronegativity: and types of chemical bonds.
• Elements and atoms
• Enantiomers: optical isomers (chiral molecules)
• Enzymes
• Fats
• Gel blotting; of DNA, RNA, and proteins
• Heme
• Hydrocarbons
• Hydrogen bonds
• Mixtures and compounds
• Molecular weight and the mole
• NAD (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and NADP (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate)
• Noncovalent bonding
• Nucleotides
• Organic molecules - types and functional groups
• Phospholipids
• Polypeptides
• Prions; infectious proteins
• Progesterone
• Proteins
  • Primary Structure
  • Secondary Structure
  • Tertiary Structure
  • Quaternary Structure
• Proteomics
• Rules of Protein Structure

Physiology

• Aging
• Asexual Reproduction
• Birth Control
• Blood
• Blood Clotting
• Blood Groups
• Bone
• Breathing (respiratory system): [Human] [control of breathing] [breathing in frogs, lizards, and birds] [Insect]
• Circulatory system of humans: anatomy and physiology
• Circulatory systems of fish, frog, lizard, squid
• Can Humans Be Cloned?
  
• Drugs: how psychoactive drugs affect the brain
• Electric organs and electroreceptors
• Extraembryonic membranes and the physiology of the placenta
• Hearing
• Heart, control of
• Heat, cold, and pain receptors
• Heat, transport of
• The Human Gastrointestinal Tract
• Hormones (human)
  • Adrenal Glands
  • Hormones of the Gut
  • Human Hormones a table listing them with links
  • Hypothalamus, hormones of
  • Kidney Hormones
  • Leptin: the fat hormone
  • Liver, hormones of
  • Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH)
  • Melatonin and the pineal gland
  • Pancreas, hormones of
  • Pineal gland
  • Pituitary
  • Progesterone
  • Sex Hormones
  • Thyroid and parathyroids
• Inflammation
• Insect hormones
• Kidney physiology: [ human ] [other vertebrates]
• Long-Term Potentiation (LTP)
• The Lymphatic System
• Mechanoreceptors (touch, pressure, stretch, proprioception)
• Metabolism (with links to specific examples)
• Muscles: skeletal, cardiac, smooth
• Muscles: testing the sliding-filament hypothesis
• Neurons and other "excitable cells"
• Nervous System, central: the brain and spinal cord.
• Nervous System, peripheral
• Nitric Oxide (NO): its physiological functions
• Nutrition
• Olfaction: The Sense of Smell
• Pain
• Phenylketonuria (PKU)
• Pheromones
• Prenatal screening
• RDAs: Recommended dietary allowances
• Sexual Reproduction
• Sickle-cell disease
• Synapses
• Taste, sense of
• Urea cycle
• Vision, in humans; in arthropods
• Vision: processing visual information

Plant Biology

• Alternation of generations in plants
• Angiosperm life cycle
• Arabidopsis thaliana: a "model" organism
• Asexual reproduction in plants
• Plant cells
• Chlorophyll
• Chloroplasts
• Diversity and evolutionary relationships of the plants
• Etiolation
• Fern life cycle
• Flowering: its genetic control
• Gas exchange in plants
• Germination of seeds
• The Leaf
• Moss life cycle
• Plant Growth
• Plant Hormones. Abscisic acid (ABA), Auxin, Cytokinins, Ethylene, Gibberellins, Strigolactones
• Plant tissues
• Phloem and the transport of food
• Photoperiodism and phytochrome
• Photorespiration and C₄ plants
• Photosynthesis: Pathway of Carbon Fixation: the Calvin cycle
• Photosynthesis: The Role of Light: the so-called light reactions
• Photosynthesis: energy relationships
• Photosynthesis: how its details were discovered
• Radiation: spectrum of electromagnetic
• Roots
• Self-incompatibility: how plants avoid inbreeding
• Stems
• Strigolactones
• Symbiotic nitrogen fixation
• Transgenic Plants
• Transpiration
• Tropisms
• Xylem and the transport of water and minerals

Viruses

• Influenza: the "flu"
• Mapping the genes of T2
• PhiX174
• Retroviruses: including HIV, the cause of AIDS
• rII locus of T4
• Smallpox
• Viruses