Genetics Molecular Biology Molecular Genetics

Undergraduate Genetics Opportunities www.ed.ac.uk/biology Molecular Biology Molecular Genetics

Genetics_MolBio_MolGen_A5.indd 1 21/05/2019 14:39 Genetics Molecular Biology Genetics is a biological discipline that underlies Molecular biology is an important biological the majority of modern biological research. It is discipline, based on a combined study of concerned with genes and the way in which they biochemistry, genetics, microbiology, cell and control the properties of cells and organisms. developmental biology and ultrastructure. A different aspect of genetics is the study of It focuses on the properties of proteins and evolution, which has been revolutionised in nucleic acids and their roles in the mechanism recent years by the availability of large DNA of heredity and in the expression of defined sequence datasets, including full genome characters within organisms. The techniques sequences for many species. This has also of molecular biology are indispensable to facilitated the study of many human traits, the solution of the most serious problems including diseases, which have a major genetic confronting us in modern medicine today, component but whose inheritance involves more especially with knowledge of whole genome than a single gene. Genetics impacts on almost sequences leading to functional genomic every aspect of our lives – from human genetics and proteomic studies. Thus molecular and health, infectious disease, what we eat and biology continues to be a key discipline in the drink, how we live – to how we think of ourselves advancement of all biological and biomedical and others in the scheme of things. It is involved studies, and is highly topical. in controversial areas such as the use of genetically engineered crops and the biological Molecular Genetics and ethical issues around human therapeutic This programme is closely related to Genetics cloning. It is unfortunately clear that many people Honours and runs in parallel. Molecular Genetics involved in these debates do not understand the students, in addition to being informed about the basic issues properly. basic science, are encouraged to consider how these issues impact on society.

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