After a brief review of older attempts to understand our cosmos, we will discuss in quantitative detail the conditions of the universe at different important epochs about which we have some understanding (inflation, fundamental force decoupling, matter/antimatter imbalance, baryogenesis, radiation/matter/ domination, recombination and the cosmic microwave background, dark matter and the evolution of large scale structure, dark energy domination and the termination of structure formation) as well as the geometry and equations of motion of the Universe.

This was the last major observational ingredient that laid the groundwork for the “Standard Cosmological Model”. The modern understanding of the birth and evolution of our Universe can be dated to 1998 when astronomers discovered, completely contrary to expectation, that the Universe is growing at an ever more rapid rate. Juxtaposing primary anthropological and biological resources with fictional and public depictions, we will show how science and popular culture have interacted to create a dynamic and ever-evolving image of our most closely-related ancient hominid cousin. In this course we will look at the long, and occasionally bizarre, history of Neanderthal research and representation. NEANDERTHALS (Our Evolving View of Neanderthals)įrom pathological human specimens to brutish louts to sitcom stars, the public and scientific face of Neanderthals has evolved dramatically since their discovery in 1856. The third is building and developing quantitative analytical skills in respect to scientific literature. The second is moving from simplistic, either-or explanations to a consideration of the relative weight of proximate and ultimate explanations. The first is to acquaint students with the usefulness of the scientific method in suggesting answers to complex questions about healthy and disease. We will also examine our own evolved-and evolving- mechanisms for dealing with pathogens both in respect to biological and cultural adaptations. In this course we will examine not only how pathogens function biologically but also the evolutionary forces that led to the development of these functions. Darwinian, or Evolutionary, Medicine is the study of health and disease from an evolutionary perspective.

Oncourse iusb