Human Population and Evolutionary Genetics

What you will learn

At the end of this course, you will be able to:

  • Define what is population genetics
  • Explain the factors responsible for genetic diversity
  • Describe the genetic history of our species on the 5 continents
  • Identify how humans have adapted to the great diversity of environments
  • Discuss the importance of the Neanderthal genome in our genetic heritage

Description

More than two decades after the sequencing of the human genome, a deluge of population genomic data has been generated, depicting human genetic diversity at an unprecedented level of resolution. This massive amount of data has improved our understanding of the demography of our species, in particular its dispersion around the globe and the interbreeding of populations.

Studies based on ancient DNA have shown that Neanderthals and Denisovans, now extinct hominins, contributed to the genome of modern non-African populations. Population genetics has also led to a better understanding of how natural selection has contributed to the diversity of the human genome on a population scale. The detection of the molecular signatures of natural selection in the human genome has made it possible to identify the genes responsible for the morphological and physiological diversity observed between current human populations.

The aim of this MOOC is to provide the fundamental bases of population genetics applied to our species, and to illustrate this with numerous examples.

Format

This MOOC is organized in 4 chapters of 5 to 8 sessions each. Each session includes a 6 to 10-minute video. Each session is followed by two MCQs, allowing learners to test their understanding. At the end of each chapter, a set of MCQs is offered again. The videos are in English, with subtitles in English and French. The MCQs are in English and French.


https://www.fun-mooc.fr/en/courses/human-population-and-evolutionary-genetics/

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