About this course: Named a top 50 MOOC of all time by Class Central! This course begins a series of classes illustrating the power of computing in modern biology. Please join us on the frontier of bioinformatics to look for hidden messages in DNA without ever needing to put on a lab coat. In the first half of the course, we investigate DNA replication, and ask the question, where in the genome does DNA replication begin? We will see that we can answer this question for many bacteria using only some straightforward algorithms to look for hidden messages in the genome. In the second half of the course, we examine a different biological question, when we ask which DNA patterns play the role of molecular clocks. The cells in your body manage to maintain a circadian rhythm, but how is this achieved on the level of DNA? Once again, we will see that by knowing which hidden messages to look for, we can start to understand the amazingly complex language of DNA. Perhaps surprisingly, we will apply randomized algorithms, which roll dice and flip coins in order to solve problems. Finally, you will get your hands dirty and apply existing software tools to find recurring biological motifs within genes that are responsible for helping Mycobacterium tuberculosis go "dormant" within a host for many years before causing an active infection.
Who is this class for: This course is primarily aimed at undergraduate-level learners in computer science, biology, or a related field who are interested in learning about how the intersection of these two disciplines represents an important frontier in modern science.
Taught by: Pavel Pevzner, Professor
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Taught by: Phillip Compeau, Visiting Researcher
Department of Computer Science & Engineering
| Basic Info | Course 1 of 7 in the Bioinformatics Specialization |
| Level | Beginner |
| Commitment | 4-10 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
- Video: (Check Out Our Wacky Course Intro Video)
- Leitura: Course Details
- Item de LTI: Stepik Interactive Text for Week 1
- Video: Where in the Genome Does DNA Replication Begin? (Part 1) (11:37)
- Video: Where in the Genome Does DNA Replication Begin? (Part 2) (06:24)
- Leitura: Week 1 FAQs (Optional)
- Leitura: What is Pseudocode? (Optional)
- Item de LTI: Stepik Interactive Text for Week 2
- Video: Where in the Genome Does DNA Replication Begin? (Part 3) (09:05)
- Video: Where in the Genome Does DNA Replication Begin? (Part 4) (04:10)
- Leitura: Week 2 FAQs (Optional)
- Item de LTI: Stepik Interactive Text for Week 3
- Video: From Implanted Patterns to Regulatory Motifs (Part 1) (10:09)
- Video: From Implanted Patterns to Regulatory Motifs (Part 2) (05:06)
- Video: From Implanted Patterns to Regulatory Motifs (Part 3) (07:22)
- Leitura: Week 3 FAQs (Optional)
- Item de LTI: Stepik Interactive Text for Week 4
- Video: How Rolling Dice Helps Us Find Regulatory Motifs (Part 1) (12:43)
- Video: How Rolling Dice Helps Us Find Regulatory Motifs (Part 2) (05:37)
- Video: How Rolling Dice Helps Us Find Regulatory Motifs (Part 3) (07:46)
- Leitura: Week 4 FAQs (Optional)
Cada curso é como um livro didático interativo, com vídeos pré-gravados, testes e projetos.
Conecte-se com milhares de outros aprendizes, debata ideias, discuta sobre os materiais do curso e obtenha ajuda para dominar conceitos.
Obtenha reconhecimento oficial pelo seu trabalho e compartilhe seu sucesso com amigos, colegas e empregadores.
| Participar como ouvinte | Comprar curso | |
|---|---|---|
| Acesso aos materiais do curso | Available | Available |
| Acesso a materiais valendo nota | Not available | Available |
| Receba uma nota final | Not available | Available |
| Obtenha um Certificado de Curso compartilhável | Not available | Available |
This course was fun and very rewarding, I feel like I learned a lot about both algorithms and biology.
I have completed the Honors track---coming from a computer science background the algorithmic parts were mostly easy for me (I generally came up with all the algorithms on my own) but still fun to work through, especially because of their connection to real-world biology problems.
Interesting as the biological motivations had been they really only scratched the surface and made me want to learn more. For that I worked through the online MIT biology course [1] led by Eric Lander (of the Human Genome Project fame) that I cannot recommend enough.
[1] https://courses.edx.org/courses/course-v1:MITx+7.00x+2T2017/course/
This course is really educational and well designed. The course content is well structured and clearly described. If you have no previous knowledge in this topic, I would recommend to start with the beginner's course "Biology Meets Programming: Bioinformatics for Beginners" in order to be prepared for concepts like pseudocode or the computational way of thinking in general.
Definitely recommended!
Very interesting lectures and practical assignments. But in my opinion the capstone project is not too interesting for "computer" people.
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Cool stuff, I didn't even realize how close we are computational linguistics.