Students will learn that all organisims are composed of cells, the building-blocks of life. Most cells are microscopic and must be magnified to be observed. Students will make slides of cells from an onion skin and Elodea (American or Canadian waterwee) to observe under a microscope.

This class provides an introduction to the interactions between cells and the surfaces of biomaterials. The course covers: surface chemistry and physics of selected metals, polymers, and ceramics; surface characterization methodology; modification of biomaterials surfaces; quantitative assays of cell behavior in culture; biosensors and microarrays; bulk properties of implants; and acute and chronic response to implanted biomaterials. General topics include biosensors, drug delivery, and tissue engineering.

Insert channels in a membrane and see what happens. See how different types of channels allow particles to move through the membrane.

Insert channels in a membrane and see what happens. See how different types of channels allow particles to move through the membrane.

This Protein Purification video lesson is intended to give students some insight into the process and tools that scientists and engineers use to explore proteins. It is designed to extend the knowledge of students who are already somewhat sophisticated and who have a good understanding of basic biology. The question that motivates this lesson is, ''what makes two cell types different?'' and this question is posed in several ways. Such scientific reasoning raises the experimental question: how could you study just a subset of specialized proteins that distinguish one cell type from another? Two techniques useful in this regard are considered in the lesson.

This site shows what blood is, what happens when the immune system goes awry, what are stem cells are, and more. See videos exploring cell structure and function, cell development and motility, plankton, plants, and protozoa. Learn how the sea urchin helps us understand genes, reproduction, and cancer.

This course is a reading supplement to Cells: Molecules and Mechanism by E.V. Wong

Students learn some of the implications of 3D printing in the biomedical field. Unlike 3D printers used in a classroom or by consumers, which use a plastic filament to produce a product, 3D printing for medical purposes is often with real living cells. In this lesson, students gain an understanding of how 3D printing is changing lives for the better through a presentation and group discussion. In the corresponding activity, they have the opportunity to participate in a hands-on simulation of a real-world 3D printing task.

This course focuses on the latest scientific developments and discoveries in the field of nanomechanics, the study of forces and motion on extremely tiny (10-9 m) areas of synthetic and biological materials and structures. At this level, mechanical properties are intimately related to chemistry, physics, and quantum mechanics. Most lectures will consist of a theoretical component that will then be compared to recent experimental data (case studies) in the literature. The course begins with a series of introductory lectures that describes the normal and lateral forces acting at the atomic scale. The following discussions include experimental techniques in high resolution force spectroscopy, atomistic aspects of adhesion, nanoindentation, molecular details of fracture, chemical force microscopy, elasticity of single macromolecular chains, intermolecular interactions in polymers, dynamic force spectroscopy, biomolecular bond strength measurements, and molecular motors.

This lesson will include the idea that the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells focusing the role of neurons and the cells of which they are composed. The structure of neurons will be the focus.

Stimulate a neuron and monitor what happens. Pause, rewind, and move forward in time in order to observe the ions as they move across the neuron membrane.

Overview of the nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi bodies, vacuoles, mitochondria, chloroplasts and lysosomes.

This lesson plan is designed to help students review their knowledge of the human immune system through an interactive game called, Defend Your Body. Students will explore instances in which the body's immune system may malfunction. The first part of the lesson will review the main functions of the human immune system through a game called Defend Your Body. After playing the game, students will engage in a class discussion about the similarities of the gameplay and the function of a real immune system. During the second part of the lesson, students will revisit the game, to recognize instances where the human immune system may deviate from its normal functions. Students will then research various diseases that affect the immune system and create a new variation of Defend Your Body that simulates the effects of the disease.

Overview of animal and plant cells. Topics include cell walls, vacuoles, chloroplasts, peroxisomes, lysosomes, mitochondria, etc.

This lesson covers the process of photosynthesis and the related plant cell functions of transpiration and cellular respiration. Students will learn how engineers can use the natural process of photosynthesis as an exemplary model of a complex yet efficient process for converting solar energy to chemical energy or distributing water throughout a system.

In this activity, students observe fluid motion and the formation of convection cells as a solution of soap and water is heated. This procedure can be performed as a demonstration by the teacher, or older students can conduct the experiment themselves. A list of materials, instructions, and a description of the convective process are included.

This interactive site displays the organization and aspects of the plant, animal, and bacterial cell models through animations and text (requires Adobe Flash Player). Disclaimer: Host website is responsible for accessibility compliance. Educator is responsible for accommodations.

This self-paced course was originally designed to help prepare incoming MIT students for their first Introductory Biology Course (known at MIT as 7.01). It will also be useful for anyone preparing to take an equivalent college-level introductory biology class elsewhere. It includes lecture videos, interactive exercises, problem sets, and one exam.  Lecture Topics: Molecules of Life, The Cell and How it Works, Information Transfer in Biology, Inheritance and Genetics, and Building with DNA.
Go to OCW’s Open Learning Library site for Pre-7.01: Getting up to Speed in Biology. The site is free to use, just like all OCW sites. You have the option to sign up and enroll in the course if you want to track your progress, or you can view and use all the materials without enrolling.