Høst 2023

BIO-3014 Biological timekeeping - 10 stp

The course is administrated by

Institutt for arktisk og marin biologi

Type of course

Master course for biology students - principally aimed at MSc-students specializing in "Arctic Animal Physiology".

The course is available as a singular course.

The course will only run if a minimum of 5 students are registered by the start date (BIO-3014 and BIO-8017).

Course contents

This course focuses on biological timekeeping (chronobiology) in animals, covering time-scales from hours to years. It covers the eco-evolutionary and biomedical importance of innate timing processes, the formalisms necessary for their study and the physiological mechanisms through which biological timekeeping is achieved.

Admission requirements

Local admission, application code 9371 - Master`s level singular course.

Admission requires a Bachelor`s degree (180 ECTS) or equivalent qualification, with a major in biology of minimum 80 ECTS.

Undergraduate level knowledge of physiology and molecular biology is recommended but not obligatory.

Objective of the course

Knowledge and skills:

The key principles and intellectual formalisms of chronobiology
The evolutionary origins and ecological importance of biological timekeeping, and its relevance in biomedical contexts
The mechanistic basis to biological timekeeping at levels from the genetics to the whole organism

General skills:

Understanding the process of generating scientific knowledge
Science communication, orally and in writing
Review and extraction of relevant information from scientific research papers
Critical analysis of scientific literature
Presentation of scientific content clearly and in logical order while using language appropriate for the audience and occasion
Proposing, discussing and evaluating hypotheses

Language of instruction

English

Teaching methods

Lectures/Seminars 12 x 2 hrs, based on pre-reading assignments. Approx. 200 hrs pre-reading assignments of primary literature. 4 hr actogram analysis practical to understand formal principles of chronobiology. 6 hr Adaptive value session to understand the ecological/evolutionary importance of clocks and assess appropriate scientific methods to ascertain "adaptive value" - through reading of primary literature and presentation to peers.