The field of developmental biology has progressed to the point where it is now timely and important to offer a lower division course which highlights the principles by which an organized adult organism is generated from a fertilized egg.  Remarkably, plants and animals, which evolved from distinct unicellular ancestors use similar molecular strategies to control development.  Moreover, within the animal kingdom, virtually identical molecular mechanisms control development in organisms as diverse as flies and humans.  Given the level of our current understanding of development we can now distill simple general principles which will be accessible to the scientist and non-scientist alike.  In addition to our basic understanding of how plants and animals develop, exciting opportunities exist for applying this information.  For example, in plants, this understanding is leading to the design of completely new crops that are more nutritious, higher yielding, pest resistant, and offer the potential to feed a rapidly growing human population.  In animals, there are important medical implications of this new technology for understanding the basis for over 5,000 inherited diseases leading to new technologies for diagnosing and treating diseases.  Indeed,it will soon be possible to screen embryos for all inherited diseases as well as other characteristics.  In spite of these obvious applications, there is growing debate about the safety of producing genetically modified crops as well as the ethical considerations associated with tampering with the human genetic blueprint.

In summary, we are offering a course which introduces a broad range of undergraduates to the basic principles of plant and animal development.  Issues of a social nature arising from this understanding will also be considered, since it will be necessary in the near future to make important choices about issues such as the food we eat and the children we bear.