Biochemistry: the Molecules of Life (FutureLearn)

Biochemistry: the Molecules of Life (FutureLearn)

Explore the impact of biochemistry on bioenergy and health, discovering why graduates are in demand; with the Biochemical Society. Biochemistry brings together all of the sciences to study the chemical and physical processes that occur in living organisms. It truly is the science of life. As a scientific discipline in its own right, biochemistry has a major impact on all areas of the life sciences and biochemists are in high demand among employers.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Get an introduction to biochemistry
This free online biochemistry course will outline the background and history of the field, and its contemporary significance in the life sciences. It’s ideal if you enjoy biology and chemistry at school, and are thinking about studying or working in biochemistry as a distinct subject.

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

  • discuss how biochemistry brings together the natural sciences, to describe the chemical basis of living systems;
  • describe the events and scientists that have been significant during the historical development of biochemistry;
  • describe the seminal experiments that led to significant advances in biochemical knowledge;
  • discuss where biochemistry will play a role in future scientific advances, such as bioenergy, pharmaceuticals and synthetic biology.
  • recognise the wide range of jobs and career opportunities that become possible as a biochemistry graduate.

Learn with expert biochemists from UEA and beyond
Throughout the course, you will learn with a range of staff from UEA’s Schools of Biological Sciences and Chemistry, and find out how biochemistry is underpinning developments in the life sciences at the Norwich Research Park (NRP), and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. You will also get the chance to see interviews with people using biochemistry in a wide range of careers.

Syllabus

Week 1: What is biochemistry?
Week 2: Connecting biology and chemistry: metabolism and bioenergetics
Week 3: Connecting biology and chemistry: from natural products to synthetic biology

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Discuss how biochemistry brings together the natural sciences to describe the chemical basis of living systems
  • Describe events and scientists that have been significant during the historical development of biochemistry
  • Identify crossover points that exist between biology and chemistry curricula
  • Evaluate where biochemistry will play a key role in scientific advances in the future
  • Explore the wide range of jobs and career opportunities that become possible with a training in biochemistry
  • Summarise seminal experiments that led to significant advances in biochemical knowledge

Who is the course for?
This course will be of particular interest to 15 to 19 year olds who are studying biology and chemistry, and considering further studies in biochemistry.
No prior formal qualifications are required for this course. With a clear explanation of relevant details, the material will be understandable to all with a basic interest and background knowledge in biology and chemistry.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Quality Improvement in Healthcare: the Case for Change (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Bath

Quality Improvement in Healthcare: the Case for Change (FutureLearn)

Explore new and better ways of organising health and social care services, to improve quality, with this free online course. Why is quality improvement in health and social care systems so difficult? Why is it so challenging to bring in new and better ways of organising health and social care services? Many reasons have been put forward: lack of money; lack of knowledge about either the actual quality of care delivered, or resistance to making changes to long-established ways of working; excessive and sometimes misunderstood regulations; and professional opinions and interests that are hard to influence when systems are working at or beyond capacity.

Self Paced
5-12 Weeks
Challenges in Antibiotic Resistance: Gram Negative Bacteria (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy - BSAC

Challenges in Antibiotic Resistance: Gram Negative Bacteria (FutureLearn)

This course by BSAC is for healthcare professionals managing infections. You will learn about Gram Negative Bacteria. Identify, diagnose and treat gram negative bacterial infections. Gram negative bacteria (GNB) are a group of bacteria that can cause infection and toxic reaction in patients, yet are difficult to differentiate and treat with antibiotics due to their structure.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Discovering Science: Atmospheric Chemistry (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Leeds

Discovering Science: Atmospheric Chemistry (FutureLearn)

What can we learn about Earth, and other planets in and beyond our solar system, by studying their atmospheres? Learn about the role that radiation and greenhouse gases play in our understanding of atmospheric chemistry. As levels of CO2 in the atmosphere increase, you will discover the solutions scientists are exploring to reduce levels. And discover how missions to other planets and moons in our solar system are revealing extraordinarily diverse atmospheres.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Managing Change in a Healthcare Environment (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of East Anglia

Managing Change in a Healthcare Environment (FutureLearn)

Understand why change happens in healthcare environments and learn how to improve your response. In rapidly changing world, with new healthcare roles emerging and the complexity of care increasing, being able to respond to change is vital. On this course for healthcare professionals, you will explore the issue of change in healthcare environments, and learn how to improve your response to change.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Heart Health: A Beginner's Guide to Cardiovascular Disease (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Reading

Heart Health: A Beginner's Guide to Cardiovascular Disease (FutureLearn)

Learn more about how your heart works, the causes of heart disease and how to keep your heart healthy with this free online course. Learn how to keep your heart healthy. Your heart beats around 100,000 times a day, pumping blood around your body to deliver oxygen and nutrients, while taking away waste products. When your heart is unhealthy, it can’t perform this vital task so effectively.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Introduction to Health Technology Assessment (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Glasgow

Introduction to Health Technology Assessment (FutureLearn)

Learn about health technology assessment (HTA) and quality of life (QoL), and how they’re used to decide which treatments to fund. Get an introduction to health technology assessment (HTA). This online course provides a short, interactive introduction to health technology assessment (HTA), based on the University of Glasgow’s successful online distance-learning programme, the MSc in HTA.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Discovering Science: Global Challenges (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Leeds

Discovering Science: Global Challenges (FutureLearn)

Can chemistry help to feed a growing population, or overcome increasing bacterial resistance? Find out how the Penicillin class of antibiotics has been a major breakthrough in the treatment of patients. However, with bacteria developing efficient ways of resisting antibiotic treatment, discover how scientists are treating patients with infections resulting from resistant bacteria.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Causes of Human Disease: Exploring Cancer and Genetic Disease (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Leeds

Causes of Human Disease: Exploring Cancer and Genetic Disease (FutureLearn)

Explore how the unravelling of genetic code has led to a deeper understanding of genetic diseases and cancer. It’s widely known that some diseases run in families. The discovery of the structure of DNA and the unravelling of the genetic code has led to a deeper understanding of such diseases. We now know more about the genetic basis of cancer and how cancer cells are formed and reproduce. On this course you’ll explore the structure of DNA, its processes and learn how genetic disease results from DNA alterations.

Self Paced
2 Weeks