Evolutionary Medicine and Early Life Origins of Health

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

By helping us step back to see humans as primates, mammals, vertebrates, and beyond, evolutionary theory provides a framework for understanding many aspects of our day-to-day lives that shape the health and well-being, including weight gain-diet, psychosocial stress, immune function, sleep patterns, risky behavior, and child development. But, increasing evidence from the exciting field of "developmental origins of health and disease" suggests that our biological and behavioral patterns are far from being determined solely by our genes. Our early life contexts, from before birth, and possibly even the experiences of our parents and grandparents in prior generations influence how our brains and biological systems function, including how genes are expressed, and thus impact our health and behavior. This course will bring these dynamic perspectives together to answer questions regarding why we get sick, how our bodies flexibly respond to the world around us, and the inheritances we receive from our ancestors.