Science Is Constantly Evolving

Discover the latest in climate change and evolution education news.

Answer Monday
Last Friday we took a look at a nicely preserved fossil from the Pennsylvanian. Since this is Answer Monday, I will drop the cagey act and tell you now that it is clearly a plant. Here you can see the fossil with scale. Regarding identification, while the UIowa fossil curator places this…
Fossil Friday
This week on Fossil Friday, we have a lovely specimen. The symmetry, the quality of the preservation: I think it’s quite beautiful. To deliberately confuse you, I’ve removed all reference to scale. How big is it? I won’t tell you. Looks like a plant? Maybe. I’m being cagey on this one. The…
Eric Davidson dies
Eric Davidson The eminent developmental biologist Eric Davidson died on September 1, 2015, at the age of 78, according to a September 2, 2015, notice from Caltech. Davidson was famous for his work on the role of gene regulation in evolution, helping to launch the idea of gene…
What Do Teachers Want?
We’ve been developing some new initiatives at NCSE to try and better serve teachers. After all, teachers are ultimately going to make the difference if the next generation is to get an evidence-based science education. The Booster Club Project and NCSETeach are both big, multi-pronged approaches…
William B. Provine dies
William B. Provine The historian of science William B. Provine died on September 1, 2015, at the age of 73, according to a Facebook post from his wife. A specialist in the history of population genetics, his books included The Origins of Theoretical Population Genetics (…
Huxley’s Paley, Part 1
Although William Paley’s Natural Theology (1802) represented a tradition of thinking about the natural world that was supplanted by Darwin’s revolution, Darwin himself expressed admiration for Paley. In his autobiography, for example, he mentions having read Paley’s Natural Theology…
Where Does Climate Change Education Fit?
Climate change is the most urgent existential issue we face, yet education about climate change is often missing in action from K–12 schools. Every high school offers biology courses, but few offer earth science courses in which climate change would be a major topic. Why? A new report from the…
In the Classroom: The Ocean's Got Chemistry
Nikita Daryanani is a summer intern at NCSE. She recently graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning, and is interested in global climate change and environmental justice. If you’ve ever been snorkeling or diving (or watched Finding Nemo…
Answer Monday!
Last week, I unleashed my inner Ansel Adams and gave you a dramatically lit fossil with distinct ridges. What was it? A trilobite, of course! Trilobites are arthropods, making them close cousins (evolutionarily speaking) to living groups such as insects, crustaceans, and spiders. They first…

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