Biology MSci

The project is a year-long level three module. You will undertake detailed research on a chosen topic after discussion with a supervisor. Each project will involve collection of data by means such as experiment, questionnaire or observation, as well as the analysis and interpretation of the data in the context of previous work.

This module will explore the interactions between science and society through a series of lectures, discussion groups and workshops. Topics that will be explored include the ethical parameters that govern how scientific work is constrained, ways in which scientific discoveries can/should be disseminated to the wider community, the wider responsibilities that follow the acquisition of new knowledge and the concept of ‘citizen science’, where science takes place outside the traditional academic centres of work. This mode consists of a three-hour lecture incorporating discussion groups once per week.

The module aims to consolidate and further deepen your understanding and evaluation of immunology. It is divided into three clusters:

1. Development - which details of the evolution of the immune system, the influence of the microbiome and the development of immunity from the neonate to the aged
2. Resolution and deficiency - where the importance of the resolution of the immune response and the cells responsible for this are explored, and the importance of molecules involved in immune responses is exemplified by innate immunodeficiencies
3. Diagnostics – where the use of immunology in disease therapeutics and novel diagnostics is investigated and evaluated

The module aims are supported by a laboratory practical, a journal club and workshops on data analysis and the formative assessment to support the summative assessment.

Considers ion channels at the molecular level, with topics including the structure and function of different ion channel groups and their modulation by drugs, pesticides and natural toxins. You will also consider the synthesis and transport of neurotransmitters and the formation and release of synaptic vesicles. This module involves one three hour session per week incorporating eight lectures and two practical sessions.

Extend and develop your skills of creative and critical biological photography through this advanced module. You will continue to develop the practice and experience gained in Biological Photography and Imaging 1. You are encouraged to demonstrate increasing expertise in selected subject areas and/or specialist photographic techniques such as digital imaging and manipulation (using Photoshop software), digital video photography and editing, ecological and environmental photography, landscapes, macro and long lens photography and specialist lighting. Field and studio work continue to be essential elements of the module. You will have around three hours of lectures per week studying this module.

A series of student-driven assignments, discussion groups and problem-solving workshops on evolutionary biology, with an emphasis on behaviour. You will consider topics such as adaptation, sex and evolution, kinship theory, communication, and human behavioural ecology. There are four hours of lectures and workshops each week in this module.

Considers current knowledge of, and research into, the ecological causes and evolutionary processes that govern natural selection, adaptation and microevolution in natural populations. You will examine three approaches to the study of evolutionary ecology: theoretical and optimality models; the comparative method; and direct measurement of natural selection in the wild. You will have two-to three hours of lectures each week in this module.

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Consider the genetic effects of reduced population size, especially relating to the conservation of endangered species. You will study topics including genetic drift and inbreeding in depth, from theoretical and practical standpoints. You will spend around one and a half hours per week in lectures studying this module, plus a two and a half hour computer practical.

During this module you will examine the ways in which DNA and protein sequences are used to investigate evolutionary relationships among organisms. You will study topics including the techniques of sequence comparison and the construction of evolutionary trees.

Consider a range of approaches to conservation biology, such as the measurement and monitoring of biodiversity, and the legal frameworks and management strategies that exist to protect it. You will discuss particular threats to biodiversity, such as habitat loss and invasive species. You will spend around four hours per week in lectures and have four three-hour practicals to study for this module.

Examine the molecular causes of the ageing and malignant transformations of somatic cells that are observed during a single lifespan, and gain an understanding of the necessity to maintain the genome intact from one generation to the next. Around three hours per week will be spent within lectures studying this module.

Examine a selection of acquired and inherited cancers, and develop an understanding of the role of the genes involved and how they can be analysed. To study for this module you will have a two- or three-hour lecture once per week.

You will cover recent developments in the genetic approach to human disease, and will examine new findings in the study of disorders such as diabetes. If you choose this module you will spend around three hours per week within lectures, and there will be an eight hour seminar session.

A series of student-driven assignments and discussion groups/workshops on evolutionary biology with an emphasis on behaviour. Example topics include: adaptation, sex and evolution, kinship theory, communication, and human behavioural ecology. On the way we will develop your skills in understanding assessment criteria, presenting to an audience and writing and editing. This module requires you to work productively in a group of your peers.

The processes of floral development and reproduction are some of the most critical stages occurring during plant growth and development. They are fundamental for plant breeding, crop productivity and horticulture. The significance of plant reproduction is particularly pertinent to issues of food security and the future development of high yielding crops. In this module, you’ll focus on recent developments that have been made in the understanding of floral development, reproduction and seed production, including the current goals, methods and achievements in the genetic engineering of crop and horticultural plants. With an emphasis on reproductive biology or fruit production, you’ll learn how such processes can be manipulated for commercial exploitation and to facilitate crop improvement. Through a mix of lectures and seminars, you’ll gain a detailed knowledge on the developmental and molecular processes associated with flowering, seed production and fruit development.

This course explores the need for new vaccines and therapeutics against infectious diseases and unpacks the fundamental biology of how infectious agents cause disease. The course begins with a lecture on Vaccinology during which the principles of vaccine design will be taught. This will be followed by lectures on viral and bacterial pathogens that cause major mortality and morbidity today and for which vaccines are needed. Specifically, viral lectures will cover emerging viruses, blood borne viruses and respiratory viruses including Coronaviruses, and bacterial lectures will cover pathogenic Neisseria, Enterics and TB.  Each of the lectures will be followed by group learning whereby students will select a pathogen from that session and apply the principles of vaccine design to come up with their optimal vaccine. The weekly group activities will be practice for the summative assessment whereby each group will choose their final pathogen to present a joint oral presentation on their design of a new vaccine against this pathogen. Two workshops will be held after the last lecture to help the development of vaccine design projects.

This module explores plant adaptations to extreme soil conditions which are increasingly affecting our society including drought, flood, salinity, heavy metals, plant-plant interactions (allelopathy and mycorrhiza networks) and nutrient deficiencies.  Below-ground biological processes including water and nutrient uptake are covered within these themes. Both agricultural and natural systems will be discussed throughout these themes to stimulate discussion on future ways we can use beneficial traits to improve crop productivity and resource management under variable climate/soil conditions. Practical sessions cover methods and technologies for measuring root physiology and phenotyping in response to soil conditions. Transferable skills around digital communication of scientific concepts are central to the semester-long assessment along with a team work which is a key employability skill. It is highly suitable for those with interests in plant physiology, environmental biology, crop science or science communication.

This module covers molecular and applied aspects of plant pathology including plant-pathogen interactions, disease epidemiology, pathogen detection, disease control, pathogen biology and plant mechanisms of defence.  The relative strengths and weaknesses of different disease control options including application of fungicides, biological control, deployment of disease resistant varieties and biotechnological approaches will be considered.

Plants interact with other organisms, including other plants, animals, and microbes. Some interacting partners are a threat, while others help the plant thrive and even reproduce. This module provides a wide overview of plants' diverse interactions with antagonists and mutualists, from the microbial to the multicellular level. It introduces the ecological and evolutionary aspects contributing to preserving such interactions and delves into the checks, balances, and metabolic processes underlying mutualistic and parasitic interactions. In addition, this module covers how a deeper understanding of the mechanisms determining mutualistic and parasitic interactions can provide a framework to design strategies to secure ecological balance and food security.

This module is aimed at any student with an interest in virology. The module is designed to give a comprehensive understanding of virology without any background in the subject.

This module focuses on the molecular mechanisms that produce force and movement in cellular systems. The material is approached from a molecular viewpoint and builds from individual molecules to explain how the cast of molecular characters interact to support movement at the molecular, cellular and tissue level.

Force and movement in cells is supported by the cytoskeleton, a complex network of proteinaceous filaments. Like the human bone skeleton, the cytoskeleton provides a scaffold to maintain cell shape and a platform from which force and movement is generated. Unlike the bone skeleton, the cytoskeleton is highly dynamic: filaments form, break down and reform within seconds to meet the requirements of the cell.

A cytoskeleton is present in all domains of life. This module will cover the 3 major classes of cytoskeletal filament: microtubules, actin and intermediate filaments. You will learn about the molecular components of these filaments, how they self-assemble, how their dynamics are regulated and how they support movement over length scales from the molecular to the tissue level.

The cytoskeleton is a major dug target particularly in cancer therapy. This module will cover drugs that modulate the cytoskeleton and how they are used both as therapeutics and as research tools. We will also cover pathogens that hijack the cytoskeleton to invade and proliferate in mammalian cells.

To develop an understanding of the components and function of cytoskeletal systems and how the cytoskeleton underpins movement of and within cells. To understand the molecular mechanisms driving cytoskeleton activity. To understand the role of the cytoskeleton in the context of health and disease and the role of cytoskeleton targeting drugs as therapeutics.

Explore current knowledge of, and research into, organismal structure and function in aquatic environments, and the attributes of aquatic ecosystems. Three types of aquatic systems will be covered by the module: marine, estuarine and freshwater systems. The focus will be on physiological adaptations to the aquatic environment.