CPHYS 2011 Biological Chemistry I
The course will explore the fundamentals of biochemistry as it relates to life, starting with the major components (e.g. proteins) that perform various functions. Proteins perform very important activities in all living organisms, and students will learn about the thermodynamic properties of biological systems and the building blocks of proteins and their properties. The class will then explore various aspects of protein structure and their functional implications. Students will learn two important functions of proteins: metabolism and glycolysis and how they provide energy source for us. Genes that all living organisms carry in various forms encode proteins, so the class will investigate the building blocks of genes and their properties, and how organisms repair genes if some external toxic agents damage them.