Biology Meets Programming: Bioinformatics for Beginners (Coursera)

Biology Meets Programming: Bioinformatics for Beginners (Coursera)

Are you interested in learning how to program (in Python) within a scientific setting? This course will cover algorithms for solving various biological problems along with a handful of programming challenges helping you implement these algorithms in Python.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

It offers a gently-paced introduction to our Bioinformatics Specialization, preparing learners to take the first course in the Specialization, "Finding Hidden Messages in DNA".
Each of the four weeks in the course will consist of two required components. First, an interactive textbook provides Python programming challenges that arise from real biological problems. If you haven't programmed in Python before, not to worry! And each page in our interactive textbook has its own discussion forum, where you can interact with other learners. Second, each week will culminate in a summary quiz.
Lecture videos are also provided that accompany the material, but these videos are optional.

Syllabus

Where in the Genome Does Replication Begin? (Part 1)
Where in the Genome Does Replication Begin? (Part 2)
Which DNA Patterns Play the Role of Molecular Clocks? (Part 1)
Which DNA Patterns Play the Role of Molecular Clocks? (Part 2)

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Programming Languages, Part C (Coursera) Coursera
University of Washington

Programming Languages, Part C (Coursera)

This course is an introduction to the basic concepts of programming languages, with a strong emphasis on functional programming. The course uses the languages ML, Racket, and Ruby as vehicles for teaching the concepts, but the real intent is to teach enough about how any language “fits together” to make you more effective programming in any language -- and in learning new ones.

Nov 16th 2026
3 Weeks
Community Change in Public Health (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Community Change in Public Health (Coursera)

In bringing about behavior change in public health, we often focus on the individual mother, student, or farmer. We should not forget the community structure and norms constrain for encouraging individual health behaviors. This course examines the community context of the changes needed to promote the public’s health. We begin by examining the various definitions of ‘community’ and the processes by which we ‘diagnose’ or seek to understand the structure and characteristics of different types of communities.

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
PrEParing: PrEP for Providers and Patients (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

PrEParing: PrEP for Providers and Patients (Coursera)

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) using the antiretroviral medication emtricitibine/tenofovir approved in countries around the world is a highly effective means of reducing transmission of HIV through sexual encounters and needle sharing. This Johns Hopkins University course PrEPares you with essential information, concepts and practical advice regarding PrEP from leaders in the field. A first of its kind learning opportunity, both providers and patients learn from the same experts through content that meets the needs of both audiences, while facilitating the opportunity for a shared community space.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Antimicrobial resistance - theory and methods (Coursera) Coursera
Technical University of Denmark - DTU

Antimicrobial resistance - theory and methods (Coursera)

The course will cover the topics related to antimicrobial resistance with basic definitions and overview on antimicrobials their use and the emergence and spread of resistance. The course will guide you through the concepts and the importance of resistance spread and dissemination and how that happens. It will show you how bacteria become resistant and which mechanisms they might use for this. And as part of the course you will also receive some training in methods for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) and detection of specific resistance in the microbiological laboratories with the basic methods available and with focus on the obtention of good quality results which can be interpreted and used for different purposes.

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Videojuegos: ¿de qué hablamos? (Coursera) Coursera
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Videojuegos: ¿de qué hablamos? (Coursera)

Probablemente, todos hemos jugado a algún videojuego, pero ¿qué hay detrás de él? Podemos decir que - con independencia del videojuego - hay un árduo trabajo multidisciplinar que incluye desde aspectos de diseño hasta la programación como tal del videojuego. Este curso pretende ser un curso introductorio que muestre qué aspectos hay que considerar en el videojuego, y que permita con posterioridad abordar individualmente los temas que se consideran nucleares: diseño, arte, motor del videojuego y 'game play'.

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Big Data Science with the BD2K-LINCS Data Coordination and Integration Center (Coursera) Coursera
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Big Data Science with the BD2K-LINCS Data Coordination and Integration Center (Coursera)

In this course we briefly introduce the DCIC and the various Centers that collect data for LINCS. We then cover metadata and how metadata is linked to ontologies. We then present data processing and normalization methods to clean and harmonize LINCS data. This follow discussions about how data is served as RESTful APIs. Most importantly, the course covers computational methods including: data clustering, gene-set enrichment analysis, interactive data visualization, and supervised learning. Finally, we introduce crowdsourcing/citizen-science projects where students can work together in teams to extract expression signatures from public databases and then query such collections of signatures against LINCS data for predicting small molecules as potential therapeutics.

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
In the footsteps of Zika… approaching the unknown (Coursera) Coursera
University of Geneva

In the footsteps of Zika… approaching the unknown (Coursera)

Welcome to this on-demand MOOC “In the footsteps of Zika… approaching the unknown”. This MOOC has been produced by Université de Genève Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Descartes and Centre Virchow-Villermé. With the help of the intervention of faculty members and international experts, we will explore together the recent Zika phenomenon, a previously rare benign virus that recently turned unexpectedly into the limelight when on the 1st of February 2016 it was declared by the WHO as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Java程序设计 (Coursera) Coursera
Peking University

Java程序设计 (Coursera)

《Java程序设计》课程是使用Java语言进行应用程序设计的课程,针对各专业的大学本科生开设。课程的主要目标有三: 一、掌握Java语言的语法,能够较为深入理解Java语言机制,掌握Java语言面向对象的特点。 二、掌握JavaSE中基本的API,掌握在集合、线程、输入输出、图形用户界面、网络等方面的应用。三、能够编写有一定规模的应用程序,养成良好的编程习惯,会使用重构、设计模式、单元测试、日志、质量管理工具提高代码的质量。 对于学过“计算机基础、计算概论或C语言的学生”尤为适用。

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
C++程序设计 (Coursera) Coursera
Peking University

C++程序设计 (Coursera)

讲授C++语言中和面向对象有关的概念和语法,如类和对象、运算符重载、继承和多态、类模板和算法模板、标准模板库等。目标是使得学生能够用C++语言,以面向对象的方法编写可维护性、可扩充性好的,较大规模的程序,初步领会面向对象程序设计方法的优势所在。

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks