Biology 101: Intro to Biology – A Free Course

Biology 101: Intro to Biology is designed to be used to prepare you to earn real college credit by passing the Biology CLEP exam.

This course covers topics that are included on the exam, such as genetics, physiology, plant and animal biology, ecology and evolution.

Use it to help you learn what you need to know about biology topics to succeed on the exam.

The biology instructors are experienced and knowledgeable educators who have put together comprehensive video lessons in categories ranging from Mendel’s first law to the anatomy of the brain.

Each category is broken down into smaller chapters that will cover topics more in-depth.

These video lessons make learning fun and interesting. You get the aid of self-graded quizzes and practice tests to allow you to gauge how much you have learned.

Category	Objectives
Science Basics	Study the scientific method, experimental design, the metric system and unit conversion.
Review of Inorganic Chemistry	Examine the atom, the electron shell and chemical bonds. Also take a look at the properties of water, osmosis, diffusion, acids, the laws of thermodynamics, redox reactions and chemical reactions.
Introduction to Organic Chemistry	Explore organic molecules, carbohydrates, lipids and proteins.
Nucleic Acids: DNA and RNA	Take a look at the chemical structure of nucleic acids, adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, DNA’s double helix structure and the differences between DNA and RNA.
Enzymatic Biochemistry	Learn more about vocabulary including substrate, active site, activation energy, coenzymes, cofactors and prosthetic groups. Also study the inhibition and regulation of enzymatic reactions.
Cell Biology	Discover more about phospholipids, the cell membrane, membrane transport, movement across the cell membrane, the structure of nucleus, ribosome structure, protein synthesis, the endomembrane system, microtubules, microfilaments, the structure of the mitochondria and the structure of chloroplasts. Additionally, learn about the cell wall, central vacuole, prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and the lytic and lysogenic cycles of viruses.
DNA Replication: Processes and Steps	Find out about DNA replication and learn how helicase unwinds the DNA double helix in preparation for replication, how Okazaki fragments of the lagging strand DNA are replicated and the definition of replication bubbles.
The Transcription and Translation Process	Study protein synthesis in cells, transcription of mRNA, regulation of gene expression, how an operon controls transcription, the genetic code that translates RNA into amino acids, codon recognition and the translation of mRNA to protein.
Genetic Mutations	Learn about point mutations and the effects of mutation on protein function.
Metabolic Biochemistry	Examine cellular respiration, redox reactions, glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, the electron transport chain, lactic acid, alcoholic fermentation and photosynthesis.
Cell Division	Take a look at the genome, the structure of chromosomes, the cell cycle, DNA packaging, features of a chromosome, mitosis, cytokinesis, asexual versus sexual reproduction and meiosis.
Plant Biology	Study the different types of plants – vascular, nonvascular, monocot and dicot. Also learn about the structure of plant stems, the apical meristem, primary shoot system growth, the lateral meristem, secondary shoot system growth, the structure of leaves, primary root tissue, root hairs, primary roots, lateral roots, nitrogen fixation, xylen, phloem, flowers and pollination.
Plant Reproduction and Growth	Examine the life cycles of moss, fern, gymnosperm and angiosperm. Additionally, take a look at asexual plant reproduction, tropisms, photoperiodicity, seasonal growth cycles and plant hormones.
Physiology I: The Circulatory, Respiratory, Digestive, Excretory and Musculoskeletal Systems	Find out more about multicellular organisms and connective tissue. Study these systems in the body: skeletal system, muscular system, integumentary system, circulatory system, digestive system and excretory system.
Physiology II: The Nervous, Immune and Endocrine Systems	Study temperature regulation, homeostasis of glucose levels, the function of the nervous system, the structure and function of neurons, the central nervous system, the peripheral nervous system, the sympathetic nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous system, brain structure and function, the cerebral cortex and the immune system. Also look more in-depth at antibiotics, vaccines, flu viruses, HIV and antibiotic resistance.
Animal Reproduction and Development	Explore concepts that include spermatogenesis, oogenesis, embryonic development, placenta formation, amniotic fluid, gastrulation, Spemann’s organizer, concentration gradients and fate mapping.
Genetics: Principles of Heredity	Learn about the properties of alleles, Mendel’s laws, simple dominance exceptions, independent assortment exceptions, chromosomal linkage and model organisms.
Principles of Ecology	Discover the levels of ecology, ecosystems, food chains, niche differentiation, predator/prey interactions, symbiotic relationships, carrying capacity, island biogeography, conservation biology, ecological succession, biomes, biogeochemical cycling nitrogen cycle, carbon cycle, fossil fuels and global warming.
Principles of Evolution	Explore the theory of evolution, the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, natural selection, adaptation and speciation.
The Origin and History of Life On Earth	Study the origin of life, history of life on earth, endosymbiosis theory and evolutionary change.
Phylogeny and the Classification of Organisms	Take a look at the classification of living organisms, evolution of prokaryotes, eukaryotes evolution and the evolution of plants.
Animal Behavior	Learn about the types of animal behavior including innate, learned and social.
Social Biology	Study the theory of demographic transition and the carrying capacity of a population.
Basic Molecular Biology Laboratory Techniques	Find out about genetic engineering, micropipette work, DNA plasmid, restriction enzymes, bacterial transformation and polymerase chain reaction.
Analyzing Scientific Data	Study how to interpret tables, graphs and charts, synthesize graphs and design a scientific experiment.