In the previous course in the Specialization, we learned how to compare genes, proteins, and genomes. One way we can use these methods is in order to construct a "Tree of Life" showing how a large collection of related organisms have evolved over time.
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About this Course
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University of California San Diego
UC San Diego is an academic powerhouse and economic engine, recognized as one of the top 10 public universities by U.S. News and World Report. Innovation is central to who we are and what we do. Here, students learn that knowledge isn't just acquired in the classroom—life is their laboratory.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week 1: Introduction to Evolutionary Tree Construction
<p>Welcome to our class!</p><p>In this class, we will consider the following two central biological questions (the computational approaches needed to solve them are shown in parentheses):</p><ol><li>Weeks 1-3: Which Animal Gave Us SARS? (<i>Evolutionary tree construction</i>)</li><li>Weeks 4-5: Was <em>T. rex</em> Just a Big Chicken? (<em>Combinatorial Algorithms</em>)</li></ol><p>In Week 6, you will complete a Bioinformatics Application Challenge to apply evolutionary tree construction algorithms in order to determine the origin of the recent ebola outbreak in Africa.</p><p>As in previous courses, each of these two chapters is accompanied by a Bioinformatics Cartoon created by talented artist Randall Christopher and serving as a chapter header in the Specialization's bestselling <a href="http://bioinformaticsalgorithms.com" target="_blank">print companion</a>. You can find the first chapter's cartoon at the bottom of this message. What do stick bugs and bats have to do with deadly viruses? And how can bioinformatics be used to stop these viruses in their tracks? Start learning today and find out!</p><p><img src="http://bioinformaticsalgorithms.com/images/cover/evolution_cropped.jpg" title="Image: http://bioinformaticsalgorithms.com/images/cover/evolution_cropped.jpg" width="528"></p>
Week 2: More Algorithms for Constructing Trees from Distance Matrices
<p>Welcome to Week 2 of class!</p>
Week 3: Constructing Evolutionary Trees from Characters
<p>Welcome to week 3 of class!</p>
Week 4
<p>Welcome to week 4 of the class!</p>
Reviews
TOP REVIEWS FROM MOLECULAR EVOLUTION (BIOINFORMATICS IV)
At some point several instructors lost necessary passion to keep us focused. Otherwise it was a very informed and enjoyable presentation. Historical references are extremely important.
Yet another course in this series with really high quality content. If you want to learn something about bioinformatics, you're in the right place.
Covers the most important algorithms for phylogenetic trees. Fascinating exam
Good course for improving algorithmic skills and keep learning something new
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