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Evo in the news: Influenza, an ever-evolving target for vaccine development

Grade Level(s):

  • 9-12
  • 13-16
  • General

Source:

  • UC Museum of Paleontology

Resource type:

  • Evo in the News article

Time: 20 minutes

Overview

Some vaccines provide lifelong protection with one or a few doses, but the flu requires a new shot every year. And in some years, the flu shot is hardly effective at all. Why is the flu vaccine different from so many other vaccines? This news brief from February 2013 provides the evolutionary explanation.

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  • [History of life: Grades 9-12] Rates of evolution vary.
  • [History of life: Grades 9-12] Evolutionary change can sometimes happen rapidly.
  • [History of life: Grades 9-12] Some lineages remain relatively unchanged for long periods of time.
  • [History of life: Grades 13-16] Rates of evolution vary.
  • [History of life: Grades 13-16] Evolutionary change can sometimes happen rapidly.
  • [History of life: Grades 13-16] Some lineages remain relatively unchanged for long periods of time.
  • [Mechanisms of evolution: Grades 9-12] Evolution results from selection acting upon genetic variation within a population. (LS4.B)
  • [Mechanisms of evolution: Grades 9-12] Over time, the proportion of individuals with advantageous characteristics may increase due to their likelihood of surviving and reproducing. (LS4.B, LS4.C)
  • [Mechanisms of evolution: Grades 13-16] Evolution results from natural selection acting upon genetic variation within a population.
  • [Mechanisms of evolution: Grades 13-16] Over time, the proportion of individuals with advantageous traits may increase (and the proportion with disadvantageous traits may decrease) due to their chances of surviving and reproducing.
  • [Studying evolution: Grades 9-12] As with other scientific disciplines, evolutionary biology has applications that factor into everyday life.
  • [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.B: Natural Selection
  • Disciplinary Core Idea LS4.C: Adaptation

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.

Additional teaching tips for 13-16:
Use this resource to relate evolutionary concepts to the topics of viruses or the immune system (or get more suggestions for incorporating evolution throughout your biology syllabus).