Development of an Interactive Course-Module: “Understanding the Molecular Basis of Human Evolution and its use in Personalized Health Care”

Primary Faculty Mentor’s Name

Dr Soma Mukhopadhyay

Proposal Track

Student

Session Format

Poster

Abstract

In today’s world it is becoming more and more important to understand the foundation of human life. As our species continues to grow and develop so does the need to understand our history. The study of evolution today is incredibly interesting, particularly with new evidence coming to light almost daily. Human evolution in particular is the subject of copious amounts of research. The molecular basis of evolution has become a hot issue as it has given scientists the opportunity to see evolution on the smallest level possible, and even upend long held beliefs within the scientific community about how our species has evolved. Through the careful study of specific genes of Homo sapiens and our closely related ancestors Homo neanderthalensis, and Denisovans we can understand how certain genes give humans survival advantages or disease susceptibilities. With the understanding of these similarities between the H. sapiens genome and its ancestor species’ genomes, it has been found that Europeans tend to share some genes with the Neanderthals, and Polynesian and Eastern Asian populations tend to share some genes with the Denisovans. As technology continues to improve, it is possible to get a more accurate picture of what each gene contributes to the human body. Even though understanding the basics of this concept is very important for us as a people, there are many myths and misconceptions about evolution as a whole. There are many organizations, such as the Smithsonian Institute, that have developed methods for studying and teaching evolution in such a way as to minimize offense and maximize its interactivity. By researching these methods, we can use the information to create what will be an educational and fun experience for college students intending to go into a health related field.

In this project we researched and developed a course module to teach the molecular evolution of humans as well as its connections to micro-evolution and macro-evolution. We used Internet resources to design an interactive course with animations and information that students can use to master the content. We are also developing a survey designed to see students’ pre and post course knowledge of molecular evolution. Students will be introduced to the database of the National Council of Bio-Informatics to know of the information publicly available about the human genome. Also, we will address the fears and sensitivities of those students who believe that evolution is antithetical to their beliefs and clear up any misconceptions. Finally, we hope to present this interactive course module at the conference, and show a wonderful way to teach human evolution and its connection to personalized health care.

Keywords

Human evolution, genes, health care

Location

Concourse and Atrium

Presentation Year

2015

Start Date

11-7-2015 2:10 PM

End Date

11-7-2015 3:20 PM

Publication Type and Release Option

Presentation (Open Access)

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Nov 7th, 2:10 PM Nov 7th, 3:20 PM

Development of an Interactive Course-Module: “Understanding the Molecular Basis of Human Evolution and its use in Personalized Health Care”

Concourse and Atrium

In today’s world it is becoming more and more important to understand the foundation of human life. As our species continues to grow and develop so does the need to understand our history. The study of evolution today is incredibly interesting, particularly with new evidence coming to light almost daily. Human evolution in particular is the subject of copious amounts of research. The molecular basis of evolution has become a hot issue as it has given scientists the opportunity to see evolution on the smallest level possible, and even upend long held beliefs within the scientific community about how our species has evolved. Through the careful study of specific genes of Homo sapiens and our closely related ancestors Homo neanderthalensis, and Denisovans we can understand how certain genes give humans survival advantages or disease susceptibilities. With the understanding of these similarities between the H. sapiens genome and its ancestor species’ genomes, it has been found that Europeans tend to share some genes with the Neanderthals, and Polynesian and Eastern Asian populations tend to share some genes with the Denisovans. As technology continues to improve, it is possible to get a more accurate picture of what each gene contributes to the human body. Even though understanding the basics of this concept is very important for us as a people, there are many myths and misconceptions about evolution as a whole. There are many organizations, such as the Smithsonian Institute, that have developed methods for studying and teaching evolution in such a way as to minimize offense and maximize its interactivity. By researching these methods, we can use the information to create what will be an educational and fun experience for college students intending to go into a health related field.

In this project we researched and developed a course module to teach the molecular evolution of humans as well as its connections to micro-evolution and macro-evolution. We used Internet resources to design an interactive course with animations and information that students can use to master the content. We are also developing a survey designed to see students’ pre and post course knowledge of molecular evolution. Students will be introduced to the database of the National Council of Bio-Informatics to know of the information publicly available about the human genome. Also, we will address the fears and sensitivities of those students who believe that evolution is antithetical to their beliefs and clear up any misconceptions. Finally, we hope to present this interactive course module at the conference, and show a wonderful way to teach human evolution and its connection to personalized health care.