Molecules to Life I

Molecules to Life I is a graduate-level course that introduces the fundamental principles governing living systems, from the physical chemistry of biological molecules to the logic of genetics, evolution, and cellular organization. The course begins by examining life through the lenses of information, computation, thermodynamics, and nonequilibrium physics, establishing a quantitative framework for understanding how molecular interactions give rise to biological function. Building on these foundations, students explore the principles of evolutionary inference, molecular genetics, and genome organization, emphasizing how genetic information is transmitted, regulated, and reshaped over evolutionary time. Throughout the course, recurring themes—including energy flow, information processing, biological networks, and emergent behavior—are developed across multiple scales, culminating in case studies that illustrate how fundamental concepts unify seemingly disparate areas of modern biology. The course is designed to provide students with a conceptual framework that prepares them to think rigorously about biological systems.