Course Identification

Evolution and biology of sex
20223292

Lecturers and Teaching Assistants

Dr. Yehuda Salzberg, Dr. Meital Oren-Suissa, Prof. Tali Kimchi, Dr. Nitzan Gonen
N/A

Course Schedule and Location

2022
Second Semester
Wednesday, 14:15 - 16:00, WSoS, Rm C
30/03/2022
19/08/2022

Field of Study, Course Type and Credit Points

Life Sciences: Lecture; Elective; Regular; 2.00 points
Life Sciences (Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Track): Lecture; Elective; Regular; 2.00 points
Life Sciences (Computational and Systems Biology Track): Lecture; Elective; Regular; 2.00 points

Comments

N/A

Prerequisites

No

Restrictions

30

Language of Instruction

English

Attendance and participation

Required in at least 80% of the lectures

Grade Type

Numerical (out of 100)

Grade Breakdown (in %)

20%
80%

Evaluation Type

Examination

Scheduled date 1

21/07/2022
WSoS, Rm C
1000-1215
N/A

Scheduled date 2

09/08/2022
WSoS, Rm C
1000-1215
N/A

Estimated Weekly Independent Workload (in hours)

1

Syllabus

Tentative syllabus, may be subject to some changes.

  1. Introduction: why did sexual reproduction evolve? Types of sexes in nature, Genetics of Sex: sex chromosome systems (XY and other systems), Human sex chromosome aneuploidies
  2. Sex Determination and Differentiation, molecular pathways in different organisms 
  3. Genetics of Sex: Inheritance, X linkage, imprinting, mitochondrial DNA
  4. Sex hormones: discovery, evolution, function, health and disease
  5. Sexual Anatomy and Physiology, development and evolution 
  6. Pheromones: discovery, evolution, function, in various organisms
  7. Mate choice 
  8. Mating systems
  9. Sex and Reproduction: sexual, asexual, non-sexual 
  10. Sexual selection and sexual conflict
  11. Sex and the brain 1 – lessons from invertebrates
  12. Sex and the brain 2 - Sexually dimorphic behaviors in mammals

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you should be able to explain and evaluate basic biological information surrounding the phenomena of sex and reproduction in the animal kingdom from five different aspects:

  1. Molecular
  2. Anatomical
  3. Physiological
  4. Developmental
  5. Evolutionary

Reading List

Biology of Sex, Alex Mills, University of Toronto press, 2018

Mate Choice: The Evolution of Sexual Decision Making from Microbes to Humans, Gil Rosenthal, Princeton University Press, 2017

The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, Charles Darwin, 1871

Website

N/A