Natural Sciences (MSci)

The chemical and photochemical processes that occur in the atmosphere at different altitudes have profound and fundamental effects on life, and on the planet. This module examines atmospheric structure, circulation, processes and chemistry, inorganic and...

This module provides an introduction to the study of animal behaviour taking an integrative approach that addresses animal behaviour from ethological, ecological and evolutionary angles and to review the basic concepts of behaviour as a science.

We are now losing our biodiversity on a massive scale worldwide - a current extinction crisis fuelled by human-induced threats. There is an urgent need to educate our next generation conservation scientists and practitioners so that they are well-equipped...

The module includes an introduction to bioinformatics and its role in modern 'Omics' technologies; developments in DNA sequencing technologies; bioinformatic analyses of DNA; sequence alignment and biological databases.

This module develops the basic concepts of protein structure and function within the overall context of their roles within the cell. Major themes in the course are intracellular cell signalling and extracellular communication, protein and vesicle targetin...

This module will build on the principles of Transition Metal chemistry covered in Part 1. Through developing a molecular orbital approach, you will be taken from the basics of ligand interactions and binding modes to understanding a transition metal's...

The module seeks to: - explore the main evolutionary processes - consider evolution at the phenotypic as well as the molecular level - consider evolutionary processes occurring at different time scales

This module focuses on nucleic acid and protein biogenesis with particular emphasis on the flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA to proteins and key regulatory steps. Material relating to both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms will be covered.

We will start from outlining fundamental questions we must answer in order to build up a picture of an astrophysical object, e.g., what is it made of? How luminous? How big? How old? How fast? How heavy? These seemingly simple questions are surprisingly d...

The topic is addressed from three perspectives: the science of climate change, impact and adaptation, and policy towards adaptation and mitigation. One of the pre-requisites for GEOG3057

Water has played a key role in shaping the way humans have evolved and how we have in turn shaped our environment. This module will focus on how water resources enables and constrains our activities and wellbeing, and those of natural ecosystems. We will ...

The course will give students an introduction to basic immune mechanisms and emphasizes the basic principles of immunology, including the cells and molecules that make up the innate and adaptive immune system. This first part will show how the immune syst...

Is it necessary -- and is it possible -- for the UK and other countries to make the change from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources? And what sort of changes would be involved, on a global, national and personal scale? Is there any one renewable ener...

The module will convey concepts and ideas involved in NanoScience and NanoTechnology to a broad range of physical scientists. The course is intended to provide a guide to the ideas and physical concepts that allow an understanding of the changes that occu...

See aims and learning outcomes.

Applications of physics to medicine will be of particular interest to those contemplating a career in this field. The course is taught primarily by staff from the School of Physics and Astronomy, but brings in staff from Southampton General Hospital who a...

This module conveys the concept of neuroscience as an integrative discipline by providing a description of mammalian brain function from molecular aspects of synaptic signalling to higher cognitive function that regulates behaviour.

The aim of this module is to build on the first year introduction to pharmacology to progress students understanding of pharmacology. The course is structured to firstly provide a platform of core concepts that widely pertain before developing this to som...

This module provides an understanding of plant function and development at a molecular, cellular and whole organism level.

This module conveys the concept of neuroscience as an integrative discipline by providing a description of mammalian nervous system function from molecular aspects of synaptic signalling to information integration and system level processing.

This module builds on the basic principles of population ecology introduced in year 1, to achieve a broad appreciation of current theory and practice in population and community ecology. Lectures and practicals will explore the processes involved in the d...

After studying this course students should be able to explain the concept of quantum mechanical wave function and its basic properties, the Schrödinger equation, the concepts of operator, eigenstates and the significance of measurements, and describe the ...

In this module you will learn about the fundamental theory of bonding in solids – band theory, and show how this can be used to understand the optical, magnetic and optical properties of solid phase materials. You will also be taught about X-ray diffracti...

This module provides the second year student with the basic concepts of human and other vertebrate animal development. Students will come to understand the main mechanisms behind both animal development and organised cellular differentiation and how these...

This course introduces the properties and mechanics of waves, from the derivation and solution of wave equations, through the origins of the classical processes of refraction, dispersion and interference, to the quantum mechanical phenomenon of the uncert...

The Natural Sciences degree programme is based on a backbone of modules that employ context-based learning (also referred to as problem-based or active learning). This approach to learning places significant responsibility on the student to identify sourc...

Do you want to find out how stem cells are being used to help treat disease and allow us to live better, for longer? And are you interested in the controversy surrounding them? Do you want to find out what tissue engineering is, and how scientists are ...

The planning, execution, recording and reporting of original scientific research are core skills in science. This module, which spans two semesters, provides an educational environment in which students can hone their experimental and reporting skills whi...

GEOG3057 is a multidisciplinary unit designed for students with an interest in how individuals and societies understand and respond to environmental shocks and stresses, and their different capacities for adaptation. The focus of the module is on climate ...

Fundamentals of Bio-organic Chemistry Nucleic Acids Chemistry • Chemical structure and properties of nucleosides, nucleotides, nucleic acids. • Structure and properties of DNA – A, B, and Z-DNA structures, Watson-Crick base pairing. • The biological...

Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) occur frequently in many areas of mathematics. This module extends earlier work on PDEs by presenting a variety of more advanced solution techniques together with some of the underlying theory.

The course deals with the nature of surfaces, both real and ideal, the energetics of adsorption at surfaces and adsorption isotherms, and the charge distribution at the liquid/solid interface. The kinetics of reactions at interfaces, including the role of...

The module has been designed to impart the scientific knowledge required to tackle the many problems associated with air and other types of environmental pollution, including how to identify and assess the nature, sources and effects of pollutants, how to...

The aim of this course is to communicate knowledge of physical techniques which exploit nuclear particles, and to develop an understanding of the underlying physics. Important themes are nuclear processes and the interaction of nuclear radiation with the ...

The aim of this course is to apply quantum physics to the study of atoms.

This module aims to develop an intermediate-level understanding of quantum mechanics, including familiarity with its mathematical formulation. It is intended to bridge the gap between the qualitative, pictorial approach used in the core modules of the fir...

Behavioural ecology considers the evolutionary pressures that shape behaviour. This module will explore animal behaviours from evolutionary biology and population ecological perspectives. Each week, lectures will consider a different behavioural ecology t...

This module concerns global biodiversity, what we understand by it and why it is in crisis, and current efforts to conserve and manage it. We begin with an appraisal of different values of diversity at scales from genetic to species, communities and ecosy...

Large-scale approaches at the molecular, cellular, organismal and ecological level are revolutionizing biology by enabling systems-level questions to be addressed. In many cases, these approaches are driven by technologies that allow the components of bio...

This module will introduce the main issues in parasitology, the host parasite interaction and how it drives evolutionary changes, the disease burden caused by parasites and how parasite infections can be treated/minimised.

This module will deliver a comprehensive analysis of selected topics associated with the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive cancer development and lead to tumour progression. This will involve exploring the genetic drivers of disease, the mechan...

The module will cover recent advances in selected areas of molecular cell biology, reviewing key aspects of cell and molecular biology required to understand these studies. The application of these studies to the advancement of clinical medicine will als...

This course builds upon the Statistical Mechanics Course (PHYS2024) to form a complete basic course on the fundamentals of the physics of solids. After the course the student should have developed the necessary theoretical knowledge to enable them to unde...

This module will deliver a comprehensive analysis of the topics associated with evolutionary developmental biology. This will involve exploring the theory of evolution; embryology and molecular pathways of development; what the fossil record tells us abou...

Evolution typically happens over long time periods, with organisms being selected based on their environments. But climate change and human factors can also increase the rate of evolution. In this module we show how organisms evolve in terms of their envi...

Microorganisms are key players in all the major biogeochemical cycles on Earth. Fluxes, Cycles, and Microbial Communities explores the microbial influence on the biological, chemical, and geological processes that shape natural environments on our planet....

The module will cover the major topics in cellular and molecular immunology, including antigen recognition, antigen processing and presentation to B and T cells, the molecular events leading to the generation of antibody and T cell receptor diversity, ant...

The course provides an introduction to modern optical physics to arm students with a basic knowledge of light-matter interactions, electro-optics and nonlinear optics. It aims to provide a fundamental base for understanding the techniques and technologies...

Medicinal Chemistry is pivotal in the design, synthesis and evaluation of new medicines, and involves multidisciplinary research at the interface of Chemistry, Biology and Medicine. This module will introduce key molecular concepts and methods in Medicina...

Most biological processes involve interactions between macromolecules. The module discusses selected examples and explains techniques used to study molecular interactions.

The course provides an insight into how molecular studies can be employed to further medical research and aid in the development of novel treatments and therapeutics. The course will cover a number of areas including the analysis of genetic diseases, amyl...

The module provides an introduction to functional brain anatomy and important neurotransmitter signalling pathways. This is used as a framework on which to describe the symptoms and treatment of brain disorders with a particular focus on a subset of psych...

Students will learn about Nuclear Scattering, various properties of Nuclei, the Liquid Drop Model and the Shell Model, radioactive decay, fission and fusion. By the end of the course, the students should be able to classify elementary particles into hadro...

To provide an understanding of i) the regulation of transcription in eukaryotic organisms, ii) post-transcriptional regulation, iii) the structure, formation and function of microRNAs, iv) how the process of translation is controlled

This is a module principally on Einstein's general theory of relativity, a relativistic theory of gravitation which explains gravitational effects as coming from the curvature of space-time. It provides a comprehensive introduction to material which is cu...

This module is concerned with the mechanism of action of several chemotherapeutic agents, targeted at various disease states. Topics covered include anticancer agents, anthelmintics, antimalarials, antisense oligonucleotides and antiviral compounds. The m...

Variational methods in classical physics will be reviewed and the extension of these ideas in quantum mechanics will be introduced.

The aim of this module is introduce third year students to the main clinically relevant parasite classes, it will consider their lifecycles, the human/veterinary pathology caused and the treatment methods both of the primary and where applicable intermedi...

This course is intended as a beginner’s guide to marine ecological modelling. It is suitable for students across a broad range of academic backgrounds and does not assume a high level of prior mathematical knowledge or experience in coding. The course...

Evolution typically happens over long time periods, with organisms being selected based on their environments. But climate change and human factors can also increase the rate of evolution. In this module we show how organisms evolve in terms of their envi...

This module will consider human-caused global challenges and their impact on marine and terrestrial ecosystems. We will discuss the main causes of global change, including greenhouse gases, changes in temperature and rainfall, and human land use, as well ...

This module is designed to give a detailed understanding of cutting edge research into the climate system from the geological past to the anthropogenic future, emphasizing a hands-on approach so that you can apply your newly learned skills to real-world p...

This module provides fourth year students with an introduction to the molecular basis of receptor pharmacology. The module detailed analysis of the mechanisms of drug action at the molecular level through the application of biochemical and molecular biolo...

Most biological processes involve interactions between macromolecules. The module discusses selected examples and explains techniques used to study molecular interactions.

This course will focus on nanomaterials, chemical synthesis and technological developments. This is a multidisciplinary module involving chemistry, physics, materials and biology. Students will be given non-assessed problems sheets and are expected to ...

The module comprises 2 sections; the first comprises seminars based upon current theoretical and methodological developments within palaeopathology and bioarchaeology, whereas the second portion comprises development of detailed skeletal and palaeopatholo...