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Evo in the news: Evolutionary evidence takes the stand

Grade Level(s):

  • 9-12
  • 13-16
  • General

Source:

  • UC Museum of Paleontology

Resource type:

  • Evo in the News article

Time: 20 minutes

Overview

This news brief, from January of 2007, describes the role of phylogenetic evidence in a Libyan court case. Six medical workers have been convicted of injecting children with HIV-tainted blood - but the evolutionary history of the virus paints a different picture.

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  • [Evidence of evolution: Grades 9-12] An organism's features reflect its evolutionary history.
  • [Evidence of evolution: Grades 13-16] An organism's features reflect its evolutionary history.
  • [Nature of science: Grades 9-12] Scientists test their ideas using multiple lines of evidence. (P6, NOS2)
  • [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] Scientists test their ideas using multiple lines of evidence.
  • [Studying evolution: Grades 9-12] Scientists use the similarity of DNA nucleotide sequences to infer the relatedness of taxa. (LS4.A)
  • [Studying evolution: Grades 9-12] Evolutionary trees (i.e. phylogenies or cladograms) portray hypotheses about evolutionary relationships.
  • [Studying evolution: Grades 9-12] Evolutionary trees (e.g., phylogenies or cladograms) are built from multiple lines of evidence.
  • [Studying evolution: Grades 9-12] As with other scientific disciplines, evolutionary biology has applications that factor into everyday life.
  • [Studying evolution: Grades 13-16] Scientists use multiple lines of evidence (including morphological, developmental, and molecular evidence) to infer the relatedness of taxa.
  • [Studying evolution: Grades 13-16] Evolutionary trees (i.e., phylogenies or cladograms) portray hypotheses about evolutionary relationships.
  • [Studying evolution: Grades 13-16] Evolutionary trees (i.e., phylogenies or cladograms) are built from multiple lines of evidence.
  • [Studying evolution: Grades 13-16] As with other scientific disciplines, evolutionary biology has applications that factor into everyday life, for example in agriculture, biodiversity and conservation biology, and medicine and health.
  • Disciplinary Core Idea LS4.A: Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity
  • NOS Matrix understanding category 2. Scientific knowledge is based on empirical evidence.
  • Science and Engineering Practice 6. Constructing explanations and designing solutions

This article includes a set of discussion and extension questions for use in class. It also includes hints about related lessons that might be used in conjunction with this one. Get more tips for using Evo in the News articles in your classroom.