The course explores three views of the evolution of form: the Darwinian view which stresses function; the historicist view which emphasizes historical accident; and the structuralist view that form is mainly the result of fixed mathematical relationships. We also review the history of life, including major events such as the origin of life and of the eukaryotic cell, the Cambrian explosion, and the major mass extinctions. Recommended prerequisite: Biology 20, 21, 202L or 203L.
Department of Biology