Conrad Hal Waddington's epigenetic landscape is now a central paradigm in evolutionary developmental biology. This article proposes that it should be adopted into middle-years (ages 11-16) biology curricula as a way of visualising the interactions of the genome with the environment. The epigenetic landscape is explained, with some biographical…

Evolution is not, contrary to what many creationists will tell you, a belief system. Neither is it a matter of faith. We should stop asking if people "believe" in evolution and talk about acceptance instead.

Natural selection is one of the most important topics in biology and it helps to clarify the variety and complexity of organisms. However, students in almost every stage of education find it difficult to understand the mechanism of natural selection and they can develop misconceptions about it. This article provides an active model of natural…

For many years biologists supposed that one group of microorganisms, which they called archaebacteria, were an ancient and primitive type of bacteria. Following biochemical analysis of their RNA and other cell components, it soon became clear that their distinct features merited classification in a separate domain, the archea. From an evolutionary…

Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution and distribution of life in the universe. It seeks to answer two important scientific questions: how did we get here and are we alone in the universe? Scientists begin by studying life on Earth and its limits. The discovery of extremophiles on Earth capable of surviving extremes encourages the…

Pheromones are chemicals used to communicate with members of the same species. First described in insects, pheromones are often used to attract mates but in social insects, such as ants and bees, pheromone use is much more sophisticated. For example, ants use pheromones to make foraging trails and the chemical and physical properties of the…

Large urban schools have to cope with a "super-diverse" population with a multireligious background in their classrooms. The job of the science teacher within this environment requires an ultra-sensitive pedagogical approach, and a deeper understanding of students' backgrounds and of scientific epistemology. Teachers must create a safe…

In this new context concept approach, field research on the Trinidadian guppy is used as an appealing example of evolutionary change in populations. Pupils are asked to investigate the underlying mechanisms. In doing so, defects in their knowledge are revealed, in particular the role of meiosis in creating genetic variation. The reason for these…

As a large number of issues in contemporary biology are controversial, science teachers in so-called "faith" schools need to know what their employers regard as "doctrinal correctness". Any effective response to the rise of fundamentalism and atheism needs to answer challenges, take scientific knowledge into consideration and re-think traditional…

The author visited the Galapagos Islands in 2009 and here looks at their biodiversity through pictures taken then. The diverse habitats of the Islands are reflected in the great diversity of flora and fauna found on them, with many species endemic to the Islands. The stories of the land iguanas, control of introduced species and the giant…

These activities, prepared for key stage 5 students (ages 16-18) and also suitable for key stage 4 (ages 14-16), show that physical appearance is not necessarily the best way to classify mammals. DNA structure is examined to show how similarities and differences between DNA sequences of mammals can be used to establish evolutionary relationships.…

The primary theoretical framework for the study of human physical attraction is currently Darwinian sexual selection. Not only has this perspective enabled the discovery of what appear to be strong universals in human mate choice but it has also facilitated our understanding of systematic variation in preferences both between and within…

This article describes the use of an enquiry-based approach to the study of human evolution in a practical context, integrating role-playing, jigsaw cooperative learning and scientific argumentation. The activity seeks to unravel the evolutionary relationships of five hominids and one ape from rather "messy" evidence. This approach enhanced the…

Discusses between-species variation in adaptation of the photosynthetic mechanism to cope with wide fluctuations of environmental water regime. Describes models for water conservation in plants and the role of photorespiration in the evolution of the different pathways. (CW)

Discusses topics to aid in understanding animal behavior, including the value of the biological approach to psychology, functional systems, optimality and fitness, universality of environmental effects on behavior, and evolution of social behavior. (DS)