Chemistry in the cell, DNA, and Evolution and Behavior

Chemistry in the cell, DNA, and Evolution and Behavior

Instructor:

Focus:

The papers are intended to fit in with the regular curriculum for the course that uses a text by M. Hoefnagels, Biology the Essentials. The course is planned in four major sections that encompass 1) Chemistry and the Cell 2) DNA, Genetics and Speciation 3) Evolution, Behavior and Ecology and 4) Human Biology. I would like to introduce parts of three papers one for each of the first three sections. These would also coincide with three of the Vision and Change themes: Evolution, Structure and Function, and Information Storage.

Overview:

Because my students are Introductory Bio are mostly first-year students and non-majors, the first two papers I chose are simple review articles. The third article is a primary research article and would introduce a considerable level of complexity.

Applicable for Courses:

Educational Level:

Introductory Level

Roadmap Objectives:

    • Article: Blood Gone Bad? Science News June 22, 2006
    • Content area/major concepts: This review paper discusses how cell membranes (of RBCs) lose their flexibility as they age. For beginning biology students this is a good paper used to discuss the living cell. The paper also lends itself to discussing controversies in science (i.e. medicine) because of higher mortality seen in very ill patients receiving "older" blood.
    • Methods or technology used to obtain data:
    • How the CREATE strategy was used:
    • Biggest teaching challenge: I don't see them (yet) for this paper.
    • Article: Gene Blues. The New Yorker Aug 27, 2012 by Seth Mnookin
    • Content area/major concepts: Gene Blues summarizes a Nature study discussing the link between paternal age and a child's risk for autism. The discussion centers around "the decline in the mean fitness of a population" given that males are living longer and having children when they are older. The paper moves on to discuss the issue that raises.
    • Methods or technology used to obtain data:
    • How the CREATE strategy was used:
    • Biggest teaching challenge: I don't foresee them for this article
    • Article: Female preference for male courtship flashes in photinus ignites fireflies. Behavioral Ecology vol 14, number 1, pp. 135-140, 2002 by C. Cratsley and Sara M. Lewis
    • Content area/major concepts: Sexual selection is a fun topic to introduce in the behavioral ecology section of this course. This paper discusses female preference for male fireflies that flash at a faster rate. Does this accelerated speed correlate to greater male fitness? This is evaluated by measuring spermatophore size in males with the faster flashing. The graphs in this paper lend themselves to class discussion and there is the potential to discuss the topic of predation in flashier (literally) males. Two papers follow this one, 2006 and 2008 and provide a good follow up on the same story.
    • Methods or technology used to obtain data:
    • How the CREATE strategy was used:
    • Biggest teaching challenge: This paper has too much to cover for my specific course. It has four methods sections with 4 results sections that include 6 figures. Picking and choosing sections would be essential.

Advice for Using Module/Activity:

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