MIT Introduction to Biology

This MIT biology course emphasizes the molecular mechanisms behind living systems. Biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and cell biology provide the main foundation. It is useful for understanding how a biological explanation is built from interactions and evidence rather than only memorizing names of structures.

What you will learn

• Understand foundational biochemical relationships
• Reason about genes and inheritance
• Connect molecular processes to cell function
• Work through introductory biological problems

Who this suits

Suitable for a motivated learner beginning university-level biology, especially with some chemistry background. Expect to revisit unfamiliar terminology and draw processes in your own words. The archived lectures can support a formal course or provide structure for independent study.

Before you enroll

This offering dates from 2004. Foundational mechanisms remain valuable, but newer methods, classifications, and research developments need current references. Do not use an archived introductory course as a source of present-day clinical recommendations or an account of every active research area.

The OpenCourseWare materials are free. Studying them does not enroll you at MIT or provide a certificate or academic credit.

Put it into practice

Draw the steps connecting a DNA sequence to a cellular effect and identify which parts of your explanation are mechanisms and which are observations.

Source and review

This overview is based on the provider's published information, checked on 11 October 2026. It is an editorial assessment, not a claim that we completed the resource. Time filters are approximate study ranges; projects and exercises can take longer.

View the curriculum and current access options at MIT OpenCourseWare.

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