Although Darwin's theory of why species adapt and change has been called "the best idea anyone ever had," it was incomplete. Today, the field of "evo devo," or evolutionary developmental biology, answers the question of how evolution actually took place.
What is Evo Devo? (Article/Interview)
Find out about the new field of science called "evo devo" and some of the groundbreaking discoveries that have been made.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/beta/evolution/what-evo-devo.html
Guess the Embryo (Interactive)
Watch four similar-looking embryos develop and see if you can tell what type of organism each will become.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/beta/evolution/guess-embryo.html
The Zoo of You (Interactive)
See how closely parts of your body match those in other animals, from sharks to fruit flies.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/beta/evolution/zoo-you.html
Gene Switches (Interactive)
See the power of switches—the genes in our genome that turn other genes on and off.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/beta/evolution/gene-switches.html
Kitchen DNA (Lesson)
Collect and see your own DNA using a simple solution you can make in your own kitchen.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/0302/01-kitchendna.html
Curriculum Connections
DNA, DNA analysis, DNA extraction, kitchen chemistry, pH levels
Standards
Grades 5-8
Standard A: Science as Inquiry: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry, Understanding about scientific inquiry
Standard B: Physical Science: Properties and changes of properties in matter
Standard C: Life Science: Structure and function in living systems, Reproduction and heredity
Grades 9-12
Standard A: Science as Inquiry: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry, Understanding about scientific inquiry
Standard B: Physical Science: Chemical reactions
Standard C: Life Science: The cell, The molecular basis of heredity
Explore a Stretch of Code (Interactive)
See what researchers see when they look at human genetic code: reveal a switch, a gene, a start codon, and more.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/genome/explore.html
Curriculum Connections
Genetic code, human genome, DNA, chromosomes, switches, codons, introns, exons, code, variation, gene
Standards
Grades 5-8
Standard A: Science as Inquiry: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry, Understanding about scientific inquiry
Standard C: Life Science: Reproduction and heredity, Diversity and adaptations of organisms
Grades 9-12
Standard A: Science as Inquiry: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry, Understanding about scientific inquiry
Standard C: Life Science: The molecular basis of heredity, Biological evolution
