This course is geared towards starting undergraduate students. A solid background in biology will be helpful but not absolutely essential. The material will be of interest to those who are pursuing a career in any of the life sciences as well as anyone who has run up against their biological clock.
Offered By
Circadian clocks: how rhythms structure life
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)About this Course
Offered by

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)
As one of Europe's leading research universities, LMU Munich is committed to the highest international standards of excellence in research and teaching. Building on its 500-year-tradition of scholarship, LMU covers a broad spectrum of disciplines, ranging from the humanities and cultural studies through law, economics and social studies to medicine and the sciences.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
WEEK 1
Introduction to 'chronobiology'. What sorts of rhythms are observed in nature? Most of the lecture will be spent on describing daily or circadian rhythms in organisms from bacteria to man.
WEEK 2
Circadian rhythms synchronise to the 24-hour environment. Organisms use specialised photoreceptors to do this and they display characteristic properties in this process. We experience this active synchronisation process for example when we suffer from jet lag!
WEEK 3
We will discuss the elaborate molecular mechanisms that allow circadian clocks to produce their daily rhythms and to synchronise them to its environment. We will compare these mechanisms in a wide range of organisms.
WEEK 4
Circadian clocks serve to orchestrate physiology and metabolism in a coordinated way over the course of the day. Therefore, practically all processes in an organism are regulated outputs of the clock. We'll discuss examples of these processes and ideas about how this circadian regulation works.
Reviews
- 5 stars84.09%
- 4 stars12.50%
- 3 stars2.84%
- 1 star0.56%
TOP REVIEWS FROM CIRCADIAN CLOCKS: HOW RHYTHMS STRUCTURE LIFE
This is the best course I have completed on this platform so far, sheer brilliance! A unique topic, taught in a unique manner.
I truly enjoyed the lecture throughout the course. I would like to have more of this course. And the instructors are amazing.
What an incite into this world of light and dark! Great derailed course that leads to better understanding of chronology and the clocks inside.
I found week 3 tough going and almost gave up. I'm really glad that I didn't.
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