Students discover new genes in an investigative undergraduate molecular biology course.
Laboratory Schedule Introduction Molecular Biology is an exciting and growing field with applications in a variety of areas of science. Almost every week scientists announce the discovery of a new human gene and many of these genes are the keys to understanding disease and genetic variation in human populations. The application of molecular biology to agriculture is another growth area as more and more genetically engineered agricultural products are approaching market. Molecular biology has become an important part of forensic science and DNA fingerprinting has been used to provide crucial evidence in a growing number of criminal cases. Behind all of these revolutionary events are a rather simple set of techniques for exploring genes and their function which make the study of molecular biology and the process of genetic engineering possible.