Traces the roots of social trap situations and describes a parasitism-symbiosis model, showing that when each organism attempts to maximize its survival potential without regard for the other's, neither does as well as when they behave collectively. Discusses a model social trap situation, "Prisoner's Dilemma" ("PD") and a…

Discusses the development of high-level thinking skills and how learning occurs with example studies from literature. Describes the relationship between animal and human cognition, and identifies levels of human understanding which include somatic, mythic, romantic, philosophic, and ironic understanding. (Contains 22 references.) (YDS)

Describes the present understanding of evolution and identifies major challenges and questions. Suggests ways in which progress can be facilitated in basic research in evolutionary biology. (CCM)

This article is geared toward high school biology teachers. The author discusses his own personal experiences of being a biology teacher. The author discusses Intelligent Design (ID) and how it adds interesting facet to discussions of the cultural context in which the science of evolution continues to develop.

When science teachers in a small Pennsylvania town were asked to read a statement to their classes that introduced students to the concept of "intelligent design," they refused, citing legal and professional obligations. This article discusses teacher's views on religion and evolution and how their opinions influenced religion's place in…

Science and religion are two contradicting aspects when it comes to tracing evolution and creationism. Considering that these are two important things, revising statewide science or eliminating evolution and changing it to Intelligent Design (ID) may be the best thing to be done to create a curriculum that has a better science teaching. In this…

Massive extinctions of animals and the arrival of the first humans in ancient Australia--which occurred 45,000 to 55,000 years ago--may be linked. Researchers at the Carnegie Institution, University of Colorado, Australian National University, and Bates College believe that massive fires set by the first humans may have altered the ecosystem of…

Evolution by natural selection may be characterized as a system in which a large store of genetic information will persist indefinitely while it remains coordinated with its environment but will continuously produce small random variations that are tested for environmental effectiveness. In any environment, effective variations will persist while…

Perhaps more than any other figure in American history, William Jennings Bryan is remembered for specific and identifiable moments of rhetorical action: the much-revered 1896 "Cross of gold" speech and the much-maligned Scopes "monkey trial" of 1925. The dissonance between these two events, at least with respect to the ways in…

Gottlieb's (1991/2007) target article represents a milestone in our understanding of the impact of social experience on developmental malleability. Interactions across the species-typical and operant behavior categories are increasingly understood to exist. The social contingencies present in the normal species-typical developmental manifold are…

In the ever-expanding realm of science, educators struggle to share new discoveries and techniques with their students. Keeping abreast of recent advances can be daunting, even for the most motivated teacher. Fortunately, the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program helps educators keep up with the…

Schools are a central interface between evolution and culture. They are the contexts in which children learn the evolutionarily novel abilities and knowledge needed to function as adults in modern societies. Evolutionary educational psychology is the study of how an evolved bias in children's learning and motivational systems influences their…

The limits of falsification are discussed and the historically based models of science described by Lakatos and Kuhn are shown to offer greater insights into the practice of science. The theory of natural selection is used to relate biology to philosophy and scientific method. (Author/JN)

Defines symbiosis and describes the connection between symbiosis and evolution, how it is described in science textbooks, and genetic variability. Discusses educational policy and science curriculum content. (YDS)

The theory of evolution provides direction in many fields, such as ecology, genetics, and embryology. Examines issues concerning the teaching of the subject in the United States. Presents a case study approach to teach about the nature of science using the theory of evolution. (SOE)