How does one species diverge into many? And from those many descendant species, how can we predict what their ancestor looked like? What changes occurred in between? These fundamental questions of evolution can be answered by looking into our DNA. Each of our genomes contains a record of the genetic changes that occurred as our ancestors evolved and diverged. But interpreting that record is difficult. In this class, we'll learn how evolution manifests itself in our genomes, and how we can use genetic changes to infer the evolutionary history of species. We'll also zoom into a familiar branch of the tree of life, Homo sapiens, and think about how the same processes that govern the evolution of species also affect small groups of organisms. By the end, we'll have gained appreciation for the incredible variety of life and how it came to be, and we'll have learned a new language - the language of DNA - that we can use to study the beautiful process of evolution.

Leaf patterns, crystal lattices, population sizes, and meandering rivers. What do these, and pretty much everything in nature, have in common? They hide numerical patterns that offer fascinating insights into the workings of the nature. Nature to numbers means quantifying the ordinary objects and baffling behaviors that you and I come upon everyday. I hope to explore how great scientists of the past have recognized these patterns and used them to advance our scientific understanding. Then, we're going to make our own observations on less studied phenomena, design simulations, and see if we can discover any hidden designs in nature.

Leaf patterns, crystal lattices, population sizes, and meandering rivers. What do these, and pretty much everything in nature, have in common? They hide numerical patterns that offer fascinating insights into the workings of the nature. Nature to numbers means quantifying the ordinary objects and baffling behaviors that you and I come upon everyday. I hope to explore how great scientists of the past have recognized these patterns and used them to advance our scientific understanding. Then, we're going to make our own observations on less studied phenomena and see if we can discover any hidden designs in nature.