1. Why should engineers know biology?
1.1. Biology and the engineering undergraduate
1.2. Need for biology
1.2.1 Shinkansen sonic boom
1.2.2. For our wellness - we are all biological entities
1.2.3. Scholarly view - it is there and it needs to be understood Reflection point (RP) 1.2.
1.3. Learning biology is fundamentally not different from learning mathematics
RP 1.3.
1.4. How will this book help?
1.5. Additional information
2. What is life? How did it originate on earth and evolve?
2.1. Why are surgical instruments sterilized before use?
RP 2.1.
2.2. What is life?
2.3. The cell is the fundamental functional unit of life
RP 2.3.
2.4. Cells in the human body
RP 2.4.
2.5. What does science tell us about the origin of life on earth?
RP 2.5.
2.6. What is evolution?
RP 2.6.
2.7. Additional Information
3. The fundamental molecules of life - 1
3.1. Bioreactors
RP 3.1.
3.2. Shear in bioreactors and its effect on productivity
3.3. What gets affected by shear in cells?
RP 3.3.
3.4. A typical eukaryotic cell contains many parts tightly packed inside it
RP 3.4.
3.5. How is the cell (plasma) membrane, microscopically speaking?
3.6. Molecules that consist the cell (plasma) membrane
RP 3.6.
3.7. Functions of the cell membrane
RP 3.7.
3.8. Lipids - one of the four fundamental biomolecules
RP 3.8.
3.9. Lipids - the human angle
RP 3.9.
3.10. Additional Information
4. Fundamental molecules of life - 2
4.1. How is curd/yogurt made at home?
4.2. Why does milk turn into curd?
4.3. What is the source of the acid?
4.4. Carbohydrates - the second of the four fundamental biomolecules
RP 4.4.
5.5. Action at a molecular level
4.6. Water and its biological relevance
RP 4.6.
4.7. Aggregation of something called casein led to curd formation
4.8. Significance of carbohydrates in the human body (diabetes, etc.)
RP 4.8.
4.9. Bioenergy
RP 4.9.
4.10 Additional Information
5. Fundamental molecules of life - 3
5.1. Casein is a protein
5.2. Amino acids and their polymers
RP 5.2.
5.3. Structure of proteins - the third of the four fundamental biomolecules
RP 5.3.
5.4. Structure function relationship and significance
RP 5.4.
5.5. Role of proteins in the cell and its membrane
RP 5.5.
5.6. Role of proteins in the human body
RP 5.6.
5.7. Enzymes are mostly proteins
5.8. Enzymes used in the industry
5.9. Quantification of enzyme activity and kinetics
RP 5.9.
5.10. Additional Information
6. Fundamental molecules of life - 4
6.1. How does the cell get energy for its various processes?
RP 6.1.
6.2. What kind of molecules are ATP and ADP? - Nucleic acids: the fourth of the four
fundamental biomolecules
RP 6.2.
6.3. Substrate level phosphorylation
RP 6.3.
6.4. Electron transport phosphorylation
RP 6.4.
6.5. Where do these phosphorylations take place in a cell?
RP 6.5.
6.6. Polymers of nucleotides - DNA, RNA
6.7. Structural aspects of DNA and RNA
RP 6.7.
6.8. Where and in what form is DNA present in the cell?
6.9. Additional Information
7. DNA replication
7.1. Separation of strands, replication bubbles and fork
RP 7.1.
7.2. Priming, addition of new monomers (DNA elongation) and directionality
RP 7.2.
7.3. Leading, lagging strands and Okazaki fragments
RP 7.3.
7.4. Problem at the ends of non-circular DNA
RP 7.4.
7.5. Proof-reading and repair of DNA
RP 7.5.
7.6. Additional Information
8. Cell replication and its quantification
8.1. DNA replication happens in a cell as a part of the cell cycle
8.2. The major steps in a cell cycle
RP 8.2.
8.3. Why should cells replicate?
RP 8.3.
8.4. Quantification of cell division
RP 8.4.
8.5. Chromosomes in the cell
8.6. All cells undergo mitosis
RP 8.6.
8.7. Sex (germ) cells undergo both mitosis and meiosis
RP 8.7.
8.8. Additional Information
9. How are proteins made in the cell? - Transcription and translation
9.1. Role of enzymes in the cell and the human body (recall)
9.2. The central dogma
9.3. Overview of the transcription and translation processes
RP 9.3.
9.4. The genetic code
RP 9.4.
9.5. Some details of transcription - initiation, elongation, and termination
9.5.1. Initiation
9.5.2. Elongation
9.5.2. Termination
RP 9.5.
9.6. Modifications in eukaryotic pre-mRNA
9.6.1. Additions
9.6.2 Cut-paste
RP 9.6.
9.7. Details of the translation process - initiation, elongation, and termination
9.7.1. Initiation
9.7.2. Elongation of the polypeptide chain
9.7.3. Termination
RP 9.7.
9.8. Post-translational modifications
RP 9.8.
9.9. Protein targeting
RP 9.9.
9.10. Mutations and their outcomes
RP 9.10.
9.11. Mutation - the molecular mechanism of evolution, and the core of genetic engineering
9.12. Additional Information
10. Mendelian genetics as a useful tool
10.1. Common genetic diseases in India
RP 10.1.
10.2. Common genetic diseases across the world
RP 10.2.
10.3. Mendelian genetics - a first approximation tool to predict genetic diseases in the offspring
RP 10.3.
10.4. Essentials of Mendelian genetics
RP 10.4.
10.5. Probabilities of occurrence in Mendelian genetics
RP 10.5.
10.6. Pedigree analysis
RP 10.6.
10.7 Sex-linked inheritance
RP 10.7.
10.8. Non-Mendelian inheritance
RP 10.8.
10.9. Additional Information
11. The coordinated function of cells in a biological system - human organ systems
11.1. Tissues - Cellular and extra-cellular matrix details
11.1.1. Muscle tissue
11.1.2. Nervous tissue
11.1.3. Connective tissue
11.1.4. Epithelial tissue
RP 11.1
11.2. Organs are made of difference tissue types
11.3. Respiratory and circulatory systems
11.4. Digestive and excretory systems
11.5. Nervous system
RP 11.5.
11.6. Other systems
11.7. Homeostasis, and its achievement through coordinated function of different organ systems
RP 11.7.
11.8. Additional information