OLLI UCSC course: The New World of Genetics and DNA Lesson 2 9/19/2024

In the last 20 years new technology has led to an explosion of information about our genes and DNA. This course provides an overview of some of the most exciting developments. It is directed at a general audience and no previous training in biology is required. We start with an explanation of the structure and function of DNA and genes. In humans, for example, we now know that less than 5% of our DNA actually encodes genes. How do we know where the genes are? And what is the function of the other 95%? Other intriguing questions include the following: - How are genes turned on and off? - How do mutations in genes occur and what are the consequences? - What are the new approaches in medicine that change genes in humans? - How do companies sequence your DNA and how do you interpret the results? - What is epigenetics, forensic DNA, environmental DNA, ancient DNA, junk DNA?

Presented by: Barry Bowman, Professor Emeritus, Molecular and Cell Biology, University California at Santa Cruz