Suggested preparation: School-level science; no specialist biology course is assumed.
About this course
Build a foundation for further biology study through molecules, cells, DNA and inheritance. Short lessons help learners reconnect basic chemical ideas with the organization and transmission of biological information.
Topics and lesson examples
- Introduction to Getting up to Speed in Biology
- Lecture 1.6: The Molecules of Life — Protein Polarity
- Lecture 2.6: The Cell and How it Works — Conclusion
- Lecture 4.2: Inheritance and Genetics — Allele Segregation
- Lecture 5.4: Building with DNA — Conclusion
Course at a glance
| Provider | MIT |
|---|---|
| Platform | YouTube · MIT OpenCourseWare |
| Access | Free Video |
| Level | Beginner — WikiFree study-level assessment |
| Language | English |
| Available lessons | 28 |
| Video duration | 4h 26m · self-paced |
| Details checked | 10 October 2026 |
Preparation and study approach
Suggested preparation: School-level science; no specialist biology course is assumed.
Follow the available videos in sequence, pausing to summarize the main argument or reconstruct a worked example. Keep a short list of assumptions, unfamiliar terms and questions to revisit. Additional reading, problem solving and practice will take time beyond the listed video duration.
Using this video classroom
Select a lesson from the list, or search for a topic. Previous and Next move through the sequence. You can mark lessons complete; progress is stored in this browser without a WikiFree account.
Free access and course scope
The public MIT OpenCourseWare videos in this classroom are free to watch. This listing provides the available playlist recordings, which may include selected lectures, recitations, demonstrations or supporting discussions rather than every component of the original campus course. Textbooks, equipment, software licenses, supervised labs, graded assignments and instructor feedback are not supplied by WikiFree. No purchase is required to watch the videos or use the note-based study approach above.
WikiFree independently organizes these resources for self-paced study. Watching does not award an MIT certificate, academic credit or admission to MIT.
Video provider and credit: MIT OpenCourseWare on YouTube. WikiFree titles, descriptions and cover artwork are independently prepared.
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Professional
Compare course focus, level and study time
| Course | Level | Focus | Study time |
|---|---|---|---|
| This course — Free MIT Course: Biology Essentials: Cells, DNA and Genetics | Beginner | Introduction to Getting up to Speed in Biology · Lecture 1.6: The Molecules of Life — Protein Polarity · Lecture 2.6: The Cell and How it Works — Conclusion | 4h 26m of video; practice time is additional |
| Cell Biology: Free Course | Intermediate | Cell structure · Organelle function · Membrane transport | 14h 25m of video; practice time is additional |
| Free MIT Course: Introductory Biology: Genetics, Cells and Molecular Systems | Beginner | 1. Introduction, Course Organization of MIT 7.016 Introductory Biology · 9. Chromatin Remodeling and Splicing · 18. SNPs & Human genetics | 27h 52m of video; practice time is additional |
| Free MIT Course: Computational and Systems Biology Foundations | Professional | 1. Introduction to Computational and Systems Biology · 6. Genome Assembly · 11. RNA Secondary Structure; Biological Functions and Predictions | 27h 49m of video; practice time is additional |
Provider: MIT. Videos play from the MIT OpenCourseWare channel on YouTube.
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