How hameleons, cuttlefish and autumn leaves change their color? How green fruit and vegetables get their diverce coloration when ripen? Why flowers and birds of paradise are so bright and colorful? Why some insects and bird feathers seem to change color if you look from different angle? Why some animals are so conspiciously colored while others are camouflaged and very hard to notice? What world of color looks like to horses, birds, insects, mantis shrimp and other animals?

What processes in nervous system are targeted by sarin, curare, strychnine, botulinum toxin and other poisons? Why can some allergy medicines make us sleepy? How does caffeine work or why can the principle "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" can applied to molecular biology? What does drug addiction reveal about our brain reward system? How can shellfish poisoning cause irreversible loss of memory formation ability? What can hallucinations tell us about our visual cortex structure and connections in our brain?

What do photosynthetic bacteria and human eyes have in common? Can bulls actually the see red color of corrida cloth and what does it have to do with dinosaurs? Do mantis shrimp have better color vision then humans? Why and how do some animals see light polarization? Why does our retina have a weird inverted structure, and why is it not the case for octopi? How did our nervous system coevolve with eye complexity in different animals? How do brains make sense of visual information? Eye complexity was one of the most popular arguments against evolutionary theory. Paradoxically, vision evolution is actually one of the best studied evolutionary topics due to plenty of genetic and biodiversity evidence - come and learn how different animals see the world!

Have seen many interesting organisms while hiking and curious to learn about their life? Want to learn how to notice nature wonders around you? Then this class is for you!

Rules are similar to classic sport orienteering competition - find 15 out of 25 control points on main campus as quickly as you can using MIT campus map (and probably learn more about MIT in the process). Each control point has a colorful pencil attached and participant should mark correct cell with control point number in the grid to prove that they has found this point. This task involves both running as you should perform task in minimal time (only main part of campus so no danger of crossing the roads) and strategical thinking (as you should choose which 15 points do you want to find and plan the optimal path through all of them). More difficult and funny version includes collaboration of two participants and texting using cell phone - one has a map but not allowed to leave lobby 13. So they would have to text instructions to other participant who walks along the campus and finds control points without a map. Texting is the only allowed form of communication between two participants - no sending photos, video translation, etc.

You probably heard about genetic engineering but have you ever wondered how it works? Learn how scientists managed to apply bacterial immune system elements as tools for DNA cutting and genome editing, and how natural genetic engineers such as viruses and parasitic bacteria can be used to introduce foreign DNA into animal and plant cells. How did fluorescent jellyfish revolutionize molecular biology research? What are the applications of genetic engineering in food industry, and is it safe? How is human insulin made for patients with diabetes? Is it possible to cure genetic diseases? (And a lot of other interesting methods and applications)

What processes in nervous system are targeted by sarin, curare, strychnine, botulinum toxin and other poisons? Why can some allergy medicines make us sleepy? How does caffeine work or why can the principle "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" can applied to molecular biology? What does drug addiction reveal about our brain reward system? How can shellfish poisoning cause irreversible loss of memory formation ability? What can hallucinations tell us about our visual cortex structure and connections in our brain?