The course Bio-Inspired Design gives an overview of non-conventional mechanical approaches in nature and shows how this knowledge can lead to more creativity in mechanical design and to better (simpler, smaller, more robust) solutions than with conventional technology. The course discusses a large number of biological organisms with smart constructions, unusual mechanisms or clever sensing and processing methods and presents a number of technical examples and designs of bio-inspired instruments and machines.

Biology is designed for multi-semester biology courses for science majors. It is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand. To meet the needs of today’s instructors and students, some content has been strategically condensed while maintaining the overall scope and coverage of traditional texts for this course. Instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand—and apply—key concepts.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the features that characterized the earliest animals and when they appeared on earthExplain the significance of the Cambrian period for animal evolution and the changes in animal diversity that took place during that timeDescribe some of the unresolved questions surrounding the Cambrian explosionDiscuss the implications of mass animal extinctions that have occurred in evolutionary history

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Define species and describe how species are identified as differentDescribe genetic variables that lead to speciationIdentify prezygotic and postzygotic reproductive barriersExplain allopatric and sympatric speciationDescribe adaptive radiation

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe pathways of species evolution in hybrid zonesExplain the two major theories on rates of speciation

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe how the present-day theory of evolution was developedDefine adaptationExplain convergent and divergent evolutionDescribe homologous and vestigial structuresDiscuss misconceptions about the theory of evolution

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Compare homologous and analogous traitsDiscuss the purpose of cladisticsDescribe maximum parsimony

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Discuss the need for a comprehensive classification systemList the different levels of the taxonomic classification systemDescribe how systematics and taxonomy relate to phylogenyDiscuss the components and purpose of a phylogenetic tree

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe horizontal gene transferIllustrate how prokaryotes and eukaryotes transfer genes horizontallyIdentify the web and ring models of phylogenetic relationships and describe how they differ from the original phylogenetic tree concept

Biology is designed for multi-semester biology courses for science majors. It is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand. To meet the needs of today’s instructors and students, some content has been strategically condensed while maintaining the overall scope and coverage of traditional texts for this course. Instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand—and apply—key concepts.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Identify and describe the properties of lifeDescribe the levels of organization among living thingsRecognize and interpret a phylogenetic treeList examples of different sub disciplines in biology

This resource contains materials for chapters 11-15 and 19-21 from the Concepts of Biology OpenStax OER book by Rice University. It includes materials to be used for a General Biology II course (or Introduction to Biology II course) for non-science majors.