Great Courses Plus – What Darwin Didn’t Know – The Modern Science of Evolution

Great Courses Plus – What Darwin Didn’t Know – The Modern Science of Evolution

Description:

Charles Darwin’s remarkable On the Origin of Species was a groundbreaking work that fundamentally altered how scientists approached the study of life itself. However, since its publication in 1859, the modern science of biology and genetics has added surprising new dimensions to evolutionary theory.

In this course, you’ll discover what Darwin didn’t know, covering much of the curriculum of an introductory college course in evolutionary biology. No background in science is needed to follow these engaging lectures, delivered by Professor Scott Solomon of Rice University, a gifted teacher and widely traveled field biologist.

Dr. Solomon reveals how the many gaps and mysteries in the evolutionary theory of Darwin’s day were systematically solved by brilliant researchers, such as Gregor Mendel, Thomas Hunt Morgan, Theodosius Dobzhansky, Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick, Motoo Kimura, and a host of others, who have brought the world into a golden age of biological research.

Your lessons begin by laying the foundation of Darwin’s theory. Then, you’ll move forward in time, and hear how advances in genetics, molecular biology, paleontology, and even geology have given Darwin’s ideas more depth, and in some cases, turned them on their heads. You’ll uncover how DNA reconstruction has allowed us to gain a clearer picture of evolutionary history and explore the vital role of heredity in the millions of species known today – including species Darwin himself never even dreamed would exist. Throughout these lectures, you’ll apply modern evolutionary theory to better understand the breeding of plants, animals, and genetically modified organisms. Finally, you’ll hear how the cutting-edge science of gene editing is being used to influence evolution, and you’ll peer into the future to gauge the prospects for further evolution of our own species.

Self Help – Lifestyle online course

More information about Self Help:

Self-help or self-improvement is a self-guided improvement—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial psychological basis.
Many different self-help group programs exist, each with its own focus, techniques, associated beliefs, proponents and in some cases, leaders.
Concepts and terms originating in self-help culture and Twelve-Step culture, such as recovery, dysfunctional families, and codependency have become firmly integrated in mainstream language.

Self-help often utilizes publicly available information or support groups, on the Internet as well as in person, where people in similar situations join together.
From early examples in self-driven legal practice and home-spun advice, the connotations of the word have spread and often apply particularly to education, business,
psychology and psychotherapy, commonly distributed through the popular genre of self-help books.
According to the APA Dictionary of Psychology, potential benefits of self-help groups that professionals may not be able to provide include friendship,
emotional support, experiential knowledge, identity, meaningful roles, and a sense of belonging.