Evolution

Animation

Who's Who In Human Evolution

Description: An interactive animation that traces the evolution of mankind

Source: PBS
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URL: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/whos-who-human-evolution.html

Articles/Research

Description: For much of nature, natural selection and ‘survival of the fittest’ still play a dominant role; only the strongest can survive in the wild. As little as a few hundred years ago, the same was true for humans, but what about now?

Source: Genome Research Limited and Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
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URL: http://www.yourgenome.org/stories/are-humans-still-evolving

Description: Introduction to evolution with links for finding further detailed information

Source: Nature Education
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URL: http://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/evolution-13228138

Evolution 101 - Understanding Evolution

Description: A seven part series exploring key concepts of evolution

Source: The University of California Museum of Paleontology, and the Regents of University of California
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URL: http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evo_01

Evolution Education - Understanding and Teaching the Science of Evolution

Description: Information on evolution and related topics

Source: National Center for Science Education
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URL: http://ncse.com/evolution

Evolution in your life

Description: Recorded interviews with various experts describing how evolution can be seen in the world around us

Source: PBS
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URL: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/evolution-your-life.html

Evolution of Modern Humans

Description: The origin of modern humans has probably been the most debated issue in evolutionary biology over the last few decades.

Source: Genome Research Limited and Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
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URL: http://www.yourgenome.org/stories/evolution-of-modern-humans

Evolution of the Human Brain

Description: The human brain, in all its staggering complexity, is the product of millions of years of evolution.

Source: Genome Research Limited and Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
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URL: http://www.yourgenome.org/stories/evolution-of-the-human-brain

How Did We Get Here?

Description: A history on evolution and discovery

Source: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
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URL: http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/how-did-we-get-here

The Common Genetic Code

Description: Information and a video on evolution and gene conservation

Source: WGBH Educational Foundation and Clear Blue Sky Productions, Inc.
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URL: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/04/4/l_044_02.html

The Natural World - Understanding Evolution and Protecting Our Biological Ecosystems

Description: Darwin could never have imagined the full complexity of the tree of life, but genomic technologies have been used to illuminate the natural world in amazing ways. We are all connected to every living thing on earth, from plants to animals to microbes, through our genomes. Find an engaging article, video, and links to explore this topic further.

Source: National Human Genome Research Institute
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URL: https://www.genome.gov/27570941/april-23-the-natural-world/

The New Genetics - Life's Genetic Tree

Description: Information from a science education booklet that covers evolutionary biology, SNPs, model organisms, circadian rhythms, bioinformatics, and gene sequencing

Source: National Institute of General Medical Sciences
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URL: http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/thenewgenetics/chapter3.html

What Is Evolution?

Description: In biology, evolution is the change in the characteristics of a species over several generations and relies on the process of natural selection.

Source: Genome Research Limited and Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
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URL: http://www.yourgenome.org/facts/what-is-evolution

Games

Darwin for a Day

Description: An activity exploring and cataloging your discoveries on the Galapagos Islands using a web application and Google Street View

Source: Charles Darwin Foundation
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URL: http://www.darwinforaday.org/

Do You Want To Be an Evolutionary Biologist

Description: An interactive trivia game testing your knowledge of evolutionary biology

Source: National Institute of General Medical Sciences
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URL: http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/findings/feb09/games/evolution.html

Evolution in Action

Description: A game on natural selection and evolution

Source: WGBH Educational Foundation
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URL: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/evolution-action.html

Interactive Tutorials

Click and Learn App

Description: Interactively explore topics in biology with the Click and Learn app. Each module features supporting videos and animations (Internet connection required). Learn about topics in evolution, neurobiology, infectious diseases, bioinformatics, stem cells, RNA, obesity, cancer, and genomics.

Source: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
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URL: http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/click-and-learn-app

Evidence - How Do We Know What We Know? A Case Study in Human Origins

Description: This case study explores how scientific evidence is being used to shape our current understanding of ourselves, such as What makes us human and how did we get this way?

Source: Exploratorium
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URL: http://www.exploratorium.edu/evidence/evidence.html?#/tester/

Evolution of Tungara Frog Mating Calls

Description: An interactive tutorial on the mating calls of Physalaemus frogs, including how the calls have evolved over time and how genetic information has been used to create an evolutionary tree

Source: Annenberg Foundation
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URL: http://www.learner.org/courses/biology/casestudy/frog.html

Explore Your Inner Animals

Description: This interactive explores different anatomical features of the human body and what they reveal about the evolutionary history we share with other organisms.

Source: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
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URL: http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/explore-your-inner-animals

Introduction to Evolution

Description: Video and practice problems teaching core concepts of evolution, including mechanisms for evolutions and classifications and taxonomy

Source: cK-12 Foundation
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URL: http://braingenie.ck12.org/subjects/45

Life Science

Description: Videos and practice problems teaching core concepts of life science, including the structure and function of cells, cellular reproduction, heredity, evolution and biodiversity

Source: cK-12 Foundation
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URL: http://braingenie.ck12.org/subjects/33

Pollenpeepers

Description: This web simulation allows students to explore adaptive radiation of a fictitious group of birds called Pollenpeepers over a period of 5 million years.

Source: WGBH Educational Foundation
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URL: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/darwin/origin/

Quirkies Evolution App

Description: This game teaches how evolution works: quirkies evolve through natural selection, reproduction, recombination and mutation of genes.

Source: Indiana University
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URL: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/quirkies-evolution/id976739433?mt=8

The Timeline of Ancient DNA

Description: How old is the oldest DNA ever sequenced? Find out in the Timeline of Ancient DNA. Zip through 32 fact-filled entries highlighting the exciting world of ancient DNA research. In the early 1980s, scientists began isolating ancient DNA from sources such as museum specimens, archaeological finds, fossil remains, fossilized feces, permafrost ice cores and other unusual sources of DNA. Not surprisingly, DNA from these specimens is of low quality, posing special technological challenges for ancient DNA analyses. Researchers in many fields are actively retrieving genetic information from ancient specimens, making ancient DNA research a fertile area of collaboration between research institutions and museums. Works on desktop computers, tablets and smartphones.

Source: National Human Genome Research Institute and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
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URL: https://unlockinglifescode.org/ancient-dna-timeline

Variation, Selection, and Time

Description: A rich source of engaging videos, interactive tutorials, and articles on natural selection and genetic variation.

Source: Genetics Science Learning Center at the University of Utah
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URL: http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/selection/

Labs & Experiments

Do You See What I See?

Description: A series of lesson plans and laboratory exercises exploring vision, color perception, color-blindness, diversity of vision across species, and how this diversity affects survival and reproduction. You may need to register to view the lesson plans, but the plans and registration is free.

Source: Project NEURON, University of Illinois
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URL: https://neuron.illinois.edu/units/do-you-see-what-i-see

Exploring Mutant Organisms

Description: An evolution and genetic diversity virtual laboratory experiment

Source: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
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URL: http://labcenter.dnalc.org/labs/mutantorganisms/mutantorganisms_d.html

NOVA Evolution Lab

Description: Here find virtual laboratory experiments for teens and adults on a variety of topics, including phylogenetics, the study of the evolutionary relationships among species. The labs engage students in solving a series of evolutionary puzzles.

Source: WGBH Educational Foundation
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URL: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/labs/lab/evolution/

Stickleback Evolution Virtual Lab

Description: A virtual lab teaching skills of data collection and analysis to study evolutionary processes

Source: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
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URL: http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/stickleback-evolution-virtual-lab

Teacher Resources

Applied Evolution: How Will We Get There from Here? (PDF 28.17 KB, Lesson Plans/Lesson Activities)

Description: Students perform a simulated natural selection activity with candy, prepare a mock HIV court case, imagine Earth in the future, track a Hantavirus outbreak, conduct “Marty the Mutating Marcescens” experiment, and brainstorm a potential detergent enzyme.

Source: American Institute of Biological Sciences
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URL: http://www.actionbioscience.org/genomics/lessons/bulllessons.pdf

cK-12 Foundation - Teachers

Description: Ck-12 Foundation offers life-science simulations to immerse students in an interactive learning experience, practice problems, free full-text FlexBook Textbooks, tools for leading group discussions and more.

Source: cK-12 Foundation
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URL: http://www.ck12.org/life-science/

Classroom Activities: Gene Switches (Lesson Plans/Lesson Activities)

Description: Teaching materials on evolution and genetic variation with a classroom activity to model a gene switch

Source: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
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URL: http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/classroom-activities-gene-switches

Comparing Species through the Fossil Record (Lesson Plans/Lesson Activities)

Description: In this lesson, students begin to understand how physical features noted in the fossil record provide clues about the evolution of species.

Source: American Association for the Advancement of Science
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URL: http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/comparing-species-through-the-fossil-record/

DNA to Darwin (Lesson Plans/Lesson Activities)

Description: Allows students aged 16-19 to explore the molecular evidence for evolution through practical bioinformatics activities that use data analysis tools and molecular data.

Source: NCBE, University of Reading
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URL: http://www.dnadarwin.org/

Do You See What I See? (Lesson Plans/Lesson Activities)

Description: A series of lesson plans and laboratory exercises exploring vision, color perception, color-blindness, diversity of vision across species, and how this diversity affects survival and reproduction. You may need to register to view the lesson plans, but the plans and registration is free.

Source: Project NEURON, University of Illinois
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URL: https://neuron.illinois.edu/units/do-you-see-what-i-see

Evolution - Variation + Selection and Time (Lesson Plans/Lesson Activities)

Description: Lesson plans and quizzes on geologic time, misconceptions about natural selection and evolution, and sexual and asexual reproduction.

Source: Genetics Science Learning Center at the University of Utah
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URL: http://teach.genetics.utah.edu/content/evolution/

Evolution and Medicine (Lesson Plans/Lesson Activities)

Description: Lesson plans on how evolution informs human health, biomedical problems, and disease treatment

Source: National Institutes of Health
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URL: https://science.education.nih.gov/HighSchool/EvolutionAndMedicine

Evolution in a Ring (PDF 28.17 KB, Lesson Plans/Lesson Activities)

Description: This lesson engages students in critical thinking about ring species and how the process of speciation occurs.

Source: American Institute of Biological Sciences
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URL: http://www.actionbioscience.org/evolution/lessons/irwinlessons.pdf

Evolution: Are There Really Missing Links? (PDF 13.91 KB, Lesson Plans/Lesson Activities)

Description: This lesson focuses on applying evidence for evolutionary transitions to the general theory of evolution. Students can investigate how Darwin’s finches would adapt to simulated island environments, create an exhibit of “missing links” art, market a virtual natural history museum and more.

Source: American Institute of Biological Sciences
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URL: http://www.actionbioscience.org/evolution/lessons/benton2lessons.pdf

Evolution: Is It Fact and/or Theory? (PDF 26.75 KB, Lesson Plans/Lesson Activities)

Description: This lesson examines patterns of change in nature, mechanisms of evolution, and factual evidence for evolution.

Source: American Institute of Biological Sciences
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URL: http://www.actionbioscience.org/evolution/lessons/lenskilessons.pdf

Exploring Learned and Innate Behavior (Lesson Plans/Lesson Activities)

Description: This lesson explores the differences and similarities between innate and learned behavior and skills among humans and monkeys.

Source: American Association for the Advancement of Science
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URL: http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/exploring-learned-and-innate-behavior/

Extinction: Is It Inevitable? (PDF 28.17 KB, Lesson Plans/Lesson Activities)

Description: This lesson explores the cycle of extinction and biotic recovery, with special emphasis on the causes of extinction.

Source: American Institute of Biological Sciences
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URL: http://www.actionbioscience.org/evolution/lessons/eldredge2lessons.pdf

How Do New Species Form? (PDF 28.17 KB, Lesson Plans/Lesson Activities)

Description: This lesson explores speciation, stasis, and change with activities that focus on comparing gradualism to punctuated equilibrium.

Source: American Institute of Biological Sciences
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URL: http://www.actionbioscience.org/evolution/lessons/eldredgelessons.pdf

Identifying Angiosperms (PDF 28.17 KB, Lesson Plans/Lesson Activities)

Description: The lessons use photography and guided discussion to engage students in learning about classification, co-evolution, and the mystery of disappearing bees crucial to the pollination of flowers.

Source: American Institute of Biological Sciences
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URL: http://www.actionbioscience.org/genomics/lessons/Soltislessons.pdf

Mapping Change Over Time (Lesson Plans/Lesson Activities)

Description: Collect information about the organisms alive at different times since the Earth formed. Discuss reasons for extinctions. Discuss advantages of change

Source: Nuffield Foundation
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URL: http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/print/3210

mtDNA: So What Did You Inherit from Your Mom? (PDF 26.75 KB, Lesson Plans/Lesson Activities)

Description: This lesson examines the structure and function of mitochondria and its role in evolution

Source: American Institute of Biological Sciences
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URL: http://www.actionbioscience.org/evolution/lessons/ingmanlessons.pdf

Poster: Fossil Evidence and Evolution

Description: A printable poster for your classroom. Students are challenged to place seven types of fossils into the proper geological era.

Source: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
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URL: http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/poster-fossil-evidence-and-evolution

Roots: The Ancestry of Modern People (PDF 13.91 KB, Lesson Plans/Lesson Activities)

Description: This lesson examines the two main models of the origin of modern humans. Students can map the movements of early humans, consider what it takes to be a paleoanthropologist, write a news flash about Lucy’s discovery, chart a book plot about the adventures of an early hominid, and create a sketchbook of hominid fossils.

Source: American Institute of Biological Sciences
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URL: http://www.actionbioscience.org/evolution/lessons/johansonlessons.pdf

Teaching Materials: Understanding Evolution

Description: Resources for teaching evolutionary patterns, processes, and theory

Source: The University of California Museum of Paleontology, and the Regents of University of California
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URL: http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/teach/index.php

The History of Evolutionary Theory (Lesson Plans/Lesson Activities)

Description: This lesson provides high-school students with an introduction to a more detailed study of evolution by focusing on the historical origins of Darwin theory and the ideas that came before it.

Source: American Association for the Advancement of Science
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URL: http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/the-history-of-evolutionary-theory/

The Teacher-Friendly Guide™ to Evolution Using Bivalves as a Model Organism

Description: A guide providing teachers with background information to support existing curricula and aid in teaching the concept of evolution.

Source: Paleontological Research Institution
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URL: http://bivalves.teacherfriendlyguide.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=41&Itemid=101

Visualizing Gene-Expression Patterns

Description: A slide show with video clips illustrating how scientists detect when a gene is being expressed in tissues

Source: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
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URL: http://media.hhmi.org/biointeractive/click/Visualizing_Gene_Expression/01.html

What Makes Honey Bees Work Together? (Lesson Plans/Lesson Activities)

Description: A series of lesson plans exploring how genes and environment affect behavior, as well as introduces students to research tools used to investigate gene expression. You may need to register to view the lesson plans, but the plans and registration is free.

Source: Project NEURON, University of Illinois
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URL: https://neuron.illinois.edu/units/what-makes-honey-bees-work-together

Video

Genetic Switches

Description: A video explaining how genetic switches enable old genes to be used in new ways

Source: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
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URL: http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/genetic-switches

The Making of the Fittest: Evolving Switches, Evolving Bodies

Description: A short film on how stickleback fish have adapted to new environments

Source: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
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URL: http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/making-fittest-evolving-switches-evolving-bodies