Biological Sciences BSc (Hons)

You will learn the causes and consequences of damage to cells, including those caused by the generation of free radicals. You will increase your understanding of the pathological bases of cancer, such as characteristics of cancer cells, malignant and benign tumours, tumour suppressor genes, invasion and metastases. The introduction of the inflammatory processes in the human body underpins taught material in immune diseases later in the module. You will explore causes, pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of many organ disorders: cardiovascular disorders will provide information on areas such as atherosclerosis and hypertension. Information on diabetes and disorders of the reproductive hormones will be included in the endocrine section. Chronic obstructive and restrictive diseases will be taught within the respiratory disorders. Information on reproductive disorders will be taught within the section on infertility in men and women.

You will learn the basic principles of molecular biology and gain an understanding of how the many different modern techniques can be applied to understanding genetics at the level of the nucleic acids - deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). You will learn why and how DNA and RNA can be manipulated in the laboratory in order to clone and sequence DNA, and produce useful proteins. In addition, you will gain practical experience in representative molecular biology methods and understanding in the context in which they are used. You will also learn how mutations in DNA can lead to human disease and discover the techniques that have been developed to identify normal and mutant DNA sequences in complex mixtures. There will be a focus on the use of molecular biology in understanding human genetics, in particular the diagnosis of disease at the chromosome and nucleic acid levels, and also the methods used for testing and screening for genetic susceptibility. You will learn how techniques have been developed to sequence the human genome and to identify individuals based on features within their DNA. The broader influence of molecular biology in non-human species will be included in your learning using examples of applied genetics.

In ‘Human Metabolism’ you will learn of how the body breaks down various biological molecules such as sugars, fats and proteins to gain energy and how it converts these molecules into the other various essential components required to function normally. You will learn about the disorders that can arise and the resulting consequences, with a food and nutritional sciences approach. Consequences such as malnutrition, vitamin deficiencies, diabetes and obesity will be discussed. You will learn about these various aspects in a system/organ-specific manner which will include the liver, the kidneys, heart and digestive tract, allowing you to clearly understand the relationship between normal and disrupted function.

In this module you will learn how animals and plants interact with their environment, and with each other. How do factors like temperature, drought and the availability of nutrients affect plants and animals? The module will explore these issues. This is important, as the current climate change has an impact on both animals and plants. You will learn how in the course of evolution plants and animals have adapted to different climate conditions. With regards to plants, you will study how they have adapted not only their morphology, but also their photosynthesis to survive in a range of habitats. You will learn how animals have adapted their morphology, physiology and biochemistry to respond to variations in different environmental parameters and survive and function in various habitats, including extreme habitats such as the deep sea hydrothermal vents and very dry deserts. The interaction between plants and animals will also be studied.

You will learn how to apply your theoretical knowledge and skills to solving new scientific problems in the fields of animal, plant and microbial biology. Examples from the recent research activity of the tutors teaching on this module will be used to teach you the stages of the scientific method, which starts with having an idea and seeking the answer to a scientific question. You will be guided through this process in relation to two tasks: a structured problem-based approach to learning about the response of plants to herbicides, followed by a more open task of a small-scale project to investigate animal behaviour in an enriched captive environment. Your learning journey for each task will start with researching the relevant scientific literature and formulating hypotheses, followed by planning experiments, selecting the most appropriate methods of data collection (laboratory and field-based or via zoo web-cams, respectively), and putting your experimental design into practice and collecting data. You will then be guided through processing, analysing (including hypothesis-testing statistics), discussing and presenting the data collected in the most appropriate scientific format.

You will learn information technology and computing sufficient to comprehend the theoretical basis of bioinformatics; the principles and basic applications of various bioinformatics tools in the analysis of biological data; and practical competence in the use of bioinformatics at a basic level to analyse biological data and understand the limitations of these techniques. You will also learn how to perform molecular biology experiments in a competent and safe manner; be able to carry out work independently; be able to write in a concise and coherent fashion; and be able to demonstrate an awareness of the wider social and political implications of the topics covered in the module.

You will learn how to conduct a scientific investigation, including how to formulate a scientific hypothesis and then initially write an investigative proposal on how the actual laboratory work will be carried out. You will learn specific methods that will enable you to safely grow, identify and count various food spoilage micro-organisms. The effects of these organisms on various beverage products will be investigated by using various scientific methodologies such as Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrophotometry (GC-MS) and the abundance of certain microbes will be investigated using Next Generation Sequencing.

This module develops your understanding of the principle of control of the nervous system over bodily functions. In addition, you will be introduced to the neuropathology of some common neurological problems. Topics covered will include neurodevelopment, the somatosensory and motor systems, the autonomic nervous system and its role in homeostatic control, the special senses such as vision, olfaction, gustation and audition, and memory and aging. This module will provide you with the basic knowledge required for understanding topics covered in more advanced neuroscience modules associated to the BSc Biology (Neurobiology) degree.

You will learn about various Neuroscience Disorders by exploring the cause(s), anatomy and physiology of a disorder, the rationale for tests
in assisting in the diagnosis of a disorder, as well as application and ethics associated to treatment of a disorder. Topics that may be covered
include;
• Inherited neurological disorders and genetic
selection
• Movement disorders
• Neuromuscular problems
• Sensory and/or motor disorders
• ANS disorders
• Memory loss
• Spinal Cord Injury
• Rehabilitation.

In this module you will explore and apply the fundamental biological and chemical principles used to develop important analyses in modern bioscience. You will learn how the composition of complex mixtures of molecules are analysed and interpreted to support clinical diagnosis or to illuminate bioscience research. Additionally, the use of cell culture to support biomedical analyses in cytotoxicity testing and also their responses to modelled pathophysiological challenges in biomedical research will be an important and exciting feature. You will learn about performing clinical diagnostics and its underpinning quality assurance. As well as the content illustrating important biological and analytical principles, the mode of assessment will develop your generic research skills in literature searching and evaluation, data analysis, critical appraisal of methodologies and report writing to prepare you for your final year research project and beyond in life as a professional scientist. Professionalism will be fostered through developing an understanding of the requirements needed for a modern diagnostic laboratory.