Most of the research on student understanding of evolution by natural selection has focused on undergraduate biology courses for science majors. However, the majority of undergraduates in the United States will not enroll in a biology course for majors. In this study, we identify the extent of natural selection understanding that students acquire…

Suggests ways to overcome the perception by some people that plants are less understood and interesting than invertebrates or vertebrates. Describes the specialization of reproductive systems and the development of plant-animal interactions to help raise the awareness level of the fossil record of plants. (RT)

The interdisciplinary curriculum of the Hull College of Higher Education is described. A course entitled "Evolution and Prehistory" combines geology with prehistoric archaeology. (Author/SA)

Provides information on early written accounts of fossils and contrasts historical phases regarding their organic or inorganic origin. Topic areas discussed include the deluge as a stimulant to geological investigation, stratigraphic sequences and earth history, extinction, faunal succession and organic evolution, and fossil evidence of…

Creationists claim that human footprints coexist with those of dinosaurs in Cretaceous limestone exposed in the Paluxy riverbed near Glen Rose, Texas. Analysis of photos shows that the features in question are not human footprints and that creationist documentation/analysis of the prints is riddled with omissions, misrepresentations,…

Highlights major activities, conferences, conference and published papers, monographs, and research studies in paleobotany during 1982. Indicates that paleobotanists made more frequent use of the perspectives and ideas of disciplines as developmental biology and sedimentology in their research endeavors. (Author/JN)

Discusses the destabilizing influences that affect feedback systems in the earth and trigger disorganization. Presents information that integrates mantle degassing with feed-back systems, and the Sun-Earth-Space energy flow system which is the primary source of energy that drives the Earth's biosphere. (RT)

Examines three types of gaps in the fossil record: real gaps, imaginary gaps, and temporary gaps. Reviews some recent evidence concerning evolution from the paleontological record of microfossils, invertebrates, and vertebrates in order to make some general conclusions regarding the manner in which life evolved on earth. (CW)

Introduces methods of studying fossil plants and of teaching palaeobotany. Brief accounts are given of different types of preservation and where to find specimens. An annotated bibliography is provided. (Author/SL)

Discusses a 20-year period in British geology (1820-1840), focusing on a theory proposed by Reverend William Buckland in his "reliquiae diluvianae of Relics of the Flood." Indicates that this flood theory, the centerpiece of modern creationism, was disproved by professional clergymen who were also geologists, scientists, and…

Describes exercises in which tabs from aluminum beverage cans are used to introduce principles of classification, biostratigraphy, and evolution. Provides diagrams which represent dorsal and ventral views of species and a table which graphs units of time in relation to species duration. (RT)

Discusses magnetic polarity stratigraphy as a tool for correlation of fossiliferous terrestrial deposits. Explains the strengths, weaknesses, limitations, preferred conditions, sampling, laboratory analysis, and applications of this technique. A table of paleomagnetic studies on vertebrate-bearing terrestrial sections arranged by age and locality…

Presents a letter responding to an article on the theological basis for a Judeo-Christian position on creationism. Also presents the author's response to the letter, examining such issues as the general lack of understanding by creationists of the nature of both science and modern biblical criticism. (JN)

Suggests that Genesis is not a scientific treatment of the earth's origin/age, but is a primitive religious history of Israel and a polemic against much of the theology of the Babylonian creation myth. Indicates that Genesis narrative and conclusions of science belong to different spheres of knowledge. Educational implications are addressed. (JM)

Questions a hypothesis from creation science dealing with mammals. Claims that, when tested, the hypothesis fails in two ways. (TW)