Evolutionary Science and Society: Educating a New Generation

Edited by Joel Cracraft and Rodger Bybee. Based on the symposium that AIBS and the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study held at the 2004 annual convention of the National Association of Biology Teachers. Presents the proceedings of the two-day symposium, which featured 17 lectures by research scientists in evolutionary biology and five panel sessions of educators who teach evolution at the secondary and post-secondary level in schools as well as to the general public in science centers. To order a bound hardcopy, click here

Available free online (PDF)

Table of Contents

Part 1: Introduction to Evolutionary Thinking

1. On Teaching Evolution and the Nature of Science

Robert T. Pennock

2. Looking for God in All the Wrong Places: Answering the Religious Challenge to Evolution

Kenneth R. Miller

3. Evolution Is a Fact

Walter M. Fitch

Education Panel 1: Teaching the Scientific and Philosophical Foundations of Evolution

A. Learning the Lay of the Religious and Political Land

Barbara Forrest

B. Introduction to Evolutionary Thinking: Problems with Teaching, Learning, and Creationism

Brian Alters

Part 2: The Tree of Life

4. The Origin and Early Evolution of Life

W. Ford Doolittle

5. An Overview of the Tree of Life

Joel Cracraft

6. The Human Species on the Tree of Life

William H. Kimbel

7. Comparisons, Phylogeny, and Teaching Evolution

Michael J. Donoghue

Education Panel 2: Teaching the Tree of Life

C. Tending the Tree of Life in the High School Garden

Mark Terry

D. The Instructional Role of Scientific Theory

Lawrence C. Scharmann

E. Tree Thinking and Reasoning about Change Over Deep Time

Sam Donovan

Part 3: How Evolution Works

8. The Nature of Natural Selection

Douglas J. Futuyma

9. Evolution by Sexual Selection

Kerry L. Shaw, Tamra C. Mendelson, and Gerald Borgia

10. Speciation: The Origin of Species

Robert M. Zink

11. Evolution of Animal Life: Perspectives from the Geologic Record

Peter M. Sheehan

Education Panel 3: Teaching the Mechanisms of Evolution

F. Exploratory Evolution Education: Engaging Students in Investigating

Evolutionary Processes, Products, and Principles

John R. Jungck, Stacey Kiser, and Ethel D. Stanley

Part 4: Evolutionary Science: Advancing Public Health

12. Health Applications of the Tree of Life

David M. Hillis

13. Evolution in Action: Understanding Antibiotic Resistance

Diane P. Genereux and Carl T. Bergstrom

14. Using Evolution to Discover New Drugs

Lynn Helena Caporale

Education Panel 4: Teaching Evolution's Importance for Public Health

G. Implications for Public Health, Drug Discovery, and the Environment

Lori Zaikowski

H. Evolution's Importance for Public Health: Darwinian Medicine Resources

Randolph M. Nesse

I. Teaching Evolution's Importance for Public Health

Betsy Ott

Part 5: Evolutionary Science: Advancing Societal Well-Being

15. Evolution Helps Solve Crimes

David P. Mindell

16. Plant and Animal Domestication as Human-Made Evolution

Paul Gepts

17. Using Invasive Species Biology to Teach about Evolution

Norris Muth and Massimo Pigliucci

Education Panel 5: Teaching Evolution's Importance for Society

J. Learning about the Nature of Science and Scientific Evidence to Understand Evolution

Jay B. Labov

K. Understanding Evolution: An Evolution Web site for Teachers

Anastasia Thanukos and Judy Scotchmoor

Conclusions