QBIC Journal Club Schedule & Assigned Readings
Freshmen - Fall 2009

revised 3 Nov 2009, * denotes the main reading for Journal Club discussion
Subject to change, please check often

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Date Class Topic Class Activity Read for the Week Assignments Due Today
24 & 27 Aug

Course Introduction

Natural selection

Class discussion

Why We Get Sick? (Neese and Williams, 1994) Chapters 1-6*

31 Aug
3 Sept
   

Why We Get Sick? (Neese and Williams, 1994) Chapters 7-11

Why We Develop Food Allergies (P. Brandtzaeg, 2007)

Roots of Cancer (W.Wayt Gibbs, 2003)*

Diagram the main steps that allow a cell to become cancerous

7 & 10
Sept

FIU CLOSED for Labor day No Journal Club this week Why We Get Sick? (Neese and Williams, 1994) Chapters 12-15  
14 & 17
Sept
Ecotoxicology
Endocrine disruptors
 

Alligator Tales: New Lessons about Environmental Contaminants from a Sentinel Species (Miles and Gillette, 2008)*

Make a list of all of the pathways through which EDCs can impact normal endocrine functioning, then describe how alligators specifically were affected by exposure to EDCs.
21 & 24 Sept Endocrine disruptors Class discussion Prenatal Hormone Exposure and Sexual Variation (John G. Vandenbergh, 2003)* Diagram 6 mouse pups in utero, labeling each one (either 0M, 1M, or 2M, and include at least one of each type in your diagram). Also, explain the consequences of each one's uterine position.
28 Sept
1 Oct
  Class discussion

Gunderson & Lotus 1993

Cronon 1995

Discuss how human control of the Everglades water supply has already and could in the future affect Everglades functioning
5 & 8 Oct   Class discussion

Your Inner Fish (Neil Shubin, 2008) Chap 1-3

Omnivore's dilema

Beardsley 2009

Diagram and briefly discuss the differences between Tiktaalik and both land and aquatic creatures
12 & 15
Oct
  Class discussion

Your Inner Fish (Neil Shubin, 2008) Chap 4-6

Sander 2002

Discuss the differences in tooth structure and function between reptiles and mammals, and diagram (roughly) one mouth with teeth from each type of animal
19 & 22
Oct
  Class discussion

Your Inner Fish (Neil Shubin, 2008) Chap 7-11

Massaro & Stork 1998

Make a list of 1 plant species and 5 animal species (from the reading or elsewhere) and list the primary sense used by each (or what the primary sense may be. For example, human's primary sense is vision). You must include at least one insect, one mammal, one reptile, and one fish.
26 & 29
Oct
  Class discussion Kidwell & Lisch 2001 Draw a dihybrid cross representing the F2 offspring of two parent pea plants with the genotypes RRYy and rryy. Also list the fractional proportion of each resulting F2 genotype and phenotype (For reference, see Raven pg. 227).
2 & 5
Nov
  Class discussion

The Double Helix (Watson and Crick, 1980) Preface - Chap 19

Zimmer 2006b

On pg. 119, Watson mentions an experiment done by Hershey and Chase. Do some research about this famous experiment in the Raven book and online, then diagram what Hershey and Chase specifically did and discuss their conclusions.
9 & 12
Nov
  Class discussion

The Double Helix (Watson and Crick, 1980) Chap 20 - Epilogue

Tang & Ho 2007

Ridley 1999

On pg. 153, Watson describes his realization concerning how DNA becomes protein. Do some independent research about this process (start in Raven) and then diagram the major steps as DNA gets turned into protein.
16 & 19
Nov
  Class discussion

West 2005 - The Lion's Mane (West, 2005)

Anderson & Iwasa 1996

Read the West 2005 paper, then write a concise summary of its major points in 5 sentences (exactly!). Below that, write a summary in 2 sentences (exactly!
23 & 26
Nov
Thanksgiving
No Journal Club this week


TBA
30 Nov
3 Dec
  Class discussion

Wilson and Wilson, 2008

Clutton-Brock 2009

Frank 2007

Keller & Chapuisat 1999

Read the Clutton-Brock 2009 paper, then write a concise summary of its major points in 5 sentences (exactly!). Below that, write a summary in 2 sentences (exactly!).