Online Learning Resources for Biology and Life Sciences

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A few weeks ago, I received an email from a student of my alma mater, PESIT (now PESU) asking me about GATE-BT or XL exam preparation. I decided to list online study resources here.

I write this article keeping in mind BE/BTech students aspiring for higher studies (especially PhD) in India.
I hope this collection of resources will be useful for GATE (BT or XL), CSIR-UGC-NET, DBT-JRF, ICMR-JRF, JNU-CBEE and aspirants of other competitive exams for higher studies in life sciences.

1. "Communicating at an Unknown Rate" - a website containing interactive animation of cell biology and biochemistry concepts - glycolysis, TCA cycle, gluconeogenesis, photosynthesis, cell division. Created and maintained by John Kyrk, a "biologist by education and artist by disposition", the website provides interactive animation to help understand the intricacies of  complex concepts and metabolic pathways.

2. NPTEL (National Program on Technology Led Learning) - an initiative by IITs and IISc to offer courses on various topics. Select "biological sciences and bioengineering" on the side panel of that site to view and use the relevant courses. Don't hesitate to explore other disciplines because courses relevant to and useful for life sciences/ biotechnology can be found there too.

3. BioTecNika -A versatile site that provides information about jobs, entrance exams and training programs in Life Sciences/Biotech field.

4. Coursera and 5. edX   - Courses from reputed universities across the world are offered on these sites. The platforms provide video lectures, assignments, quizzes, code challenges and online forums to discuss with others.

6. Khan Academy - If you or a friend find yourself in BE/BTech Biotechnology without biology in your class 11th and 12th, then this site is very useful for you to quickly learn the basics.

7. iBiology - While not directly useful for the purpose of entrance exam preparation, the videos provide exposure to research worldwide. 

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