Researchers who study the fossil record are seeking to determine whether the impact made by a comet or meteor really did decimate up to half of the life on this planet at the end of the Cretaceous period. Questions whether the extinction of plant and animal life was abrupt, started before the impact, or was a gradual change. (KR)

A novel theory about Earth's ancient history is presented. It is proposed that North America and Antarctica once lay side by side for perhaps as long as a billion years. The importance of these continental connections to geology and other disciplines is discussed. (KR)

The modern history of biology shows how Darwin's selectionist theory has replaced instructionist theories in explaining the operations of living things: first with inheritance through the gene pool of the 1850s, and second with the replacement of a template theory of immune system function in the 1960s. Today scholars in several disciplines…

The relationship between Eastern and Western languages is explored. Possible origins and the spread of language over the Eurasian land mass are discussed. (CW)

Major differences between plants and animals are presented. Discussed are autotrophs and heterotrophs, plant growth and development, gas exchange, the evolution of plants, ecosystem components, the alleged inferiority of plants, and fungi. (CW)

Describes a heuristic inquiry process attempting to better understand and appreciate a major aspect of religion influenced culture in the southern United States which has an impact on science education. Examines the intellectual and emotional viewpoints of scientists, science educators, and science teachers regarding the relationship between their…

This study: (1) comprehensively reviews previous research on the treatment of evolution in high school biology textbooks; (2) describes the treatment of evolutionary theory, including mention of creationist explanations of the development of life forms, in the most recent editions of 15 high school biology textbooks from the major publishers; and…

Investigated was the influence of an instructional strategy to help freshmen undergraduate students overcome misconceptions regarding the nature of evolutionary theory. Discusses the strategy that included writing statements, small group discussion, teacher presentation, interactive lecture/discussion, and individual reflections. (YP)

Reports the development of an instrument for gathering information about the attitudes of Hong Kong secondary school teachers towards evolution. Describes the establishment, through criteria found in the literature, of a logical and systematic procedure for the validation of this Likert-type instrument. Tentatively found that the 15-item scale was…

Described are animals that can filter their food out of the water. Various structures modified to strain plankton and small animals from water are detailed. The adaptive significance of these structures is discussed. (CW)

Presented are the arguments of two different points of view on the mass extinction of the dinosaurs. Evidence of extraterrestrial impact theory and massive volcanic eruption theory are discussed. (CW)

Analysis of subtopics of evolution in 22 high school biology textbooks shows a mean of 12 percent of total text devoted to evolution, with a decrease in attention from 1963 to 1983. Various text examples are presented to support the discussion, and implications for science teaching are addressed. (DH)

This study determined the effect of written persuasive communication on changing the attitudes of Egyptian preservice biology teachers toward teaching the topic of organic evolution. Attitude change was measured by administering an instrument (the Attitude Toward Teaching Evolution Scale) developed for the study. This 22-item, Likert-type scale…

Reports on a study designed to examine students' understanding of certain aspects of heat, pressure, and evolution. Results indicated that little change was apparent over the two-year period of the study, with most of the students in the 12 to 14 age range at the same conceptual level as the 14 to 16 year olds. (TW)

Examined is the extent to which trends found in high school biology textbooks are also found in earth science texts. Procedures, book lists, and summaries are presented. It is recommended that more emphasis be placed on the theory of evolution in future editions of earth science textbooks. (CW)