FYS 25 Microbe curious? The invisible world that shapes who we are and how we thrive
In this course, we will explore the microbial world. Bacteria, archaea, and fungi are the most dominant forms of life on Earth, and they play an enormous role in shaping and sustaining our planet. In fact, only a very tiny fraction of them do us harm. Scientific breakthroughs have uncovered a breathtaking diversity of microbes in environments ranging from compost to arctic ice, underwater volcanoes to leaf surfaces, and within the bodies of animals, from aphids to humans. Together, we will put Los Angeles under the microscope and develop an appreciation for the necessity of microbes by looking at how they evolved, how they function, and their impacts on human society. Open only to first-year frosh.