I am a retired scientist who is interested in discussing scientific concepts with individuals, especially senior citizens, in terms that are understandable with a minimum of scientific jargon. My doctoral training is in Cell Biology and I received additional training in Biochemistry. Following this formal training I worked at a National Laboratory for 32 years studying how DNA is damaged by environmental chemicals or physical agents and how that damage can result in the development of specific diseases. Some of what we will discuss includes understanding how certain parts of the human body work. For example, we will learn about individuals cells, such as liver cells, brain cells, kidney cells, etc., as well as the molecules that are contained within specialized cellular compartments, and how they influence the behavior of a particular cell. Also, it is hoped that there will be discussion regarding how the practice of “population medicine” may or not be advantageous for an aging individual. As a senior citizen myself, I spend much time with other senior citizens who have health issues associated with aging and learning that “individualized or personalized medicine” may be more useful for us than “population medicine.”

In order to come to some understanding of these issues, we will learn about informational molecules, like DNA. We will learn, in understandable terms, the structure of DNA and how that structure instructs faithful replication, so it can be passed on to it’s daughter cells and how that structure directs formation of proteins that are responsible for many traits, such as eye color and other more complex parts of what makes us individuals.

Also, the cell contains different compartments such as structures that are responsible for generating the energy required to function. This structure is called a mitochondrion and is responsible for converting oxygen to a fuel that regulates body temperature, muscle contraction and relaxation that allows us to be mobile, etc. Interestingly, we have learned that this compartment is contributed to offspring only from the mother. Another structure we will discuss is the membrane that surrounds the cell that acts as a barrier that protects the intracellular compartments and serves to allow entrance of beneficial molecules into the cell while serving as a barrier to entrance by toxic or unnecessary molecules. This particular function is cell type specific. That is a liver cell may regulate this intercellular traffic in a different manner than a brain cell. Many other attributes of the human body will be considered during the evolution of this course.

I will also describe in understandable terms topics that are discussed in the media such as pharmaceuticals that the aged are prescribed, the human microbiome, pathogens like the Coronavirus, and physical phenomena like black holes, the carbon cycle, etc.