Biology is designed for multi-semester biology courses for science majors. It is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand. To meet the needs of today’s instructors and students, some content has been strategically condensed while maintaining the overall scope and coverage of traditional texts for this course. Instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand—and apply—key concepts.

The purpose of this course is to explore the subject of human disease, placing special emphasis on the cause of disease at the tissue level. The student will pay close attention to the underlying mechanisms that initiate and perpetuate the disease state. The student will begin this course with a basic review of molecules, cells, and tissues in the human body, then discuss the inflammatory reaction and the immune system. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: explain how atoms combine to form larger molecules such as proteins and carbohydrates; compare and contrast inflammation, the innate (non-specific) immune response, and the adaptive immune response; define the term infectious disease, giving examples of causative agents and resulting disease states; differentiate between apoptosis and necrosis; describe how normal cells become immortalized to become cancer cells; compare and contrast diseases involving an overactive and underactive immune system, including SCID, HIV, allergies, and asthma as examples; explain how an autoimmune response leads to diseases such as Type 1 diabetes mellitus and lupus (SLE); explain how genetic diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, are passed from parents to offspring and the changes that occur to the cells involved; describe how changes in the skeletal system and skeletal muscle anatomy and physiology lead to the development of diseases such as osteoporosis and muscular dystrophy; identify the changes that occur in the circulatory system with atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction; outline the major changes that occur in renal diseases such as glomerulonephritis; diagram the levels of damage seen with first-, second-, and third-degree burns; write a list of cellular and tissue changes seen with various diseases, including cirrhosis of the liver, thyroid disorders like hypothyroidism, nervous system diseases like Alzheimer's, and in sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis; identify major changes that occur to a body postmortem and how the autopsy is used to recognize normal and abnormal changes. (Biology 402)

Subject provides a comprehensive overview of human pathology with emphasis on mechanisms of disease and modern diagnostic technologies. Topics include: general mechanisms of disease (inflammation, infection, immune injury, host response to foreign materials, transplantation, genetic disorders and neoplasia); pathology of lipids, enzymes, and molecular transporters; pathology of major organ systems; and review of diagnostic tools from invasive surgical pathology to non-invasive techniques such as optical spectroscopy, functional imaging, and molecular markers of disease. The objectives of this subject are achieved by a set of integrated lectures and laboratories, as well as a student-driven term project leading to a formal presentation on a medical, socioeconomic, or technological issue in human pathology.

Psychology is designed to meet scope and sequence requirements for the single-semester introduction to psychology course. The book offers a comprehensive treatment of core concepts, grounded in both classic studies and current and emerging research. The text also includes coverage of the DSM-5 in examinations of psychological disorders. Psychology incorporates discussions that reflect the diversity within the discipline, as well as the diversity of cultures and communities across the globe.Senior Contributing AuthorsRose M. Spielman, Formerly of Quinnipiac UniversityContributing AuthorsKathryn Dumper, Bainbridge State CollegeWilliam Jenkins, Mercer UniversityArlene Lacombe, Saint Joseph's UniversityMarilyn Lovett, Livingstone CollegeMarion Perlmutter, University of Michigan

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Explain the nature of psychophysiological disorders
Describe the immune system and how stress impacts its functioning
Describe how stress and emotional factors can lead to the development and exacerbation of cardiovascular disorders, asthma, and tension headaches

The innate immune system recognises components of pathogens which are intrinsically foreign (i.e. not present on normal mammalian cells), such as Lipolysaccharides, Peptidoglycans and D-isoform amino acids.

This course explores the specific ways by which microbes defeat our immune system and the molecular mechanisms that are under attack (phagocytosis, the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway, MHC I/II antigen presentation). Through our discussion and dissection of the primary research literature, we will explore aspects of host-pathogen interactions. We will particularly emphasize the experimental techniques used in the field and how to read and understand research data. Technological advances in the fight against microbes will also be discussed, with specific examples. This course is one of many Advanced Undergraduate Seminars offered by the Biology Department at MIT. These seminars are tailored for students with an interest in using primary research literature to discuss and learn about current biological research in a highly interactive setting. Many instructors of the Advanced Undergraduate Seminars are postdoctoral scientists with a strong interest in teaching.