Why Is Evolution Important Now? Understanding Extinction and Our Environment

Students read an article http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27503150/ about the possible extinction of the Mexican axolotl, and answered the following questions:

Koop, David. “Scientists try to preserve Mexico’s bizarre axolotl.” The News Journal, [Wilmington, Delaware] 3 Nov. 2008: A5.

Reading Questions

Name _______________________ Period _______
1. What exactly is an axolotl?
2. The International Union for Conservation of Nature put the axolotl on its
annual list of threatened species. Why is the axolotl population declining?
a.
b.
3. Biologist Luis Zambrano says that if the axolotl goes extinct, it would be a great loss to:
a.
b.
4. Describe:
a. What an axolotl looks like.
b. How an axolotl moves around in its environment.
c. What an axolotl eats.
d. How the axolotl got its name.
5. How does the axolotl play a key role in laboratory research?
6. How can the axolotl be saved from extinction?

Here's cute axolotl childrens' book: https://twitter.com/Jess_Keating/status/1034423833275461633

Here is another recent article about the axolotl and extinction:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8220000/8220636.stm

Variation and Natural Selection -Variation in Wolves

A wolf bounty? Not in N.C. In a switch, there’s a reward for a human killer of rare red wolves
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/a-wolf-bounty-not-in-nc-in-a-switch-theres-a-reward-for-a-human-killer-of-rare-red-wolves/2013/11/10/328aef68-47dc-11e3-a196-3544a03c2351_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines

A celebration of Darwin Day and Natural Selection
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry7ND9Ja1-o

News about the Global Food Bank
http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2015/10/19/syrian-seeds-withdrawn-from-arctic-doomsday-vault

The origins of multicellular organisms
Lab yeast make evolutionary leap to multicellularity - life - 23 June 2011 - New Scientist

For more reasons to understand evolution, the following posts also address the question: Why is Evolution Important Now?

 Why Is Evolution Important Now? Understanding Extinction and Our Environment
http://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2009/03/why-is-evolution-important-now.html

Why Is Evolution Important Now? Disease Prevention
http://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2009/02/why-is-evolution-important-now-disease.html

Why Is Evolution Important Now? Antibiotic Resistance
http://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2009/02/why-is-evolutions-important-now.html

Why Is Evolution Important Now? Understanding Diseases and Food Production
http://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2009/02/why-is-evolution-important-now.html

Why Is Evolution Important Now? Understanding Predation
http://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2010/07/why-is-evolution-important-now.html

Why Is Evolution Important Now?  Battling the Bedbug Epidemic and Cockroach avoidance of bait - Pesticide Resistance
http://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2011/03/why-is-evolution-important-now-battling.html 

Why Is Evolution Important Now? Understanding Diseases and Food Production

Students watched a video titled: Why Is Evolution Important Now? This video is available to watch online at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/educators/teachstuds/svideos.html
Students also watched video clips about Debie's story, which is on a CD-ROM on infectious diseases, which can be obtained from NIH teaching materials.  You can also access the videos online and watch them if you have Quick Time player. 
http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/nih1/diseases/activities/activity3_debi-story.htm

Students read an article about Bananas to learn about a reason: Why Evolution is Important Now. The article was published in the News Journal, Wilmington, Delaware on December 9, 2005, and is titled: In 10 years, banana you love might be no more.
As an alternative article, students can read the following articles (links below), or any article of a similar nature. Students were to write 30 facts, in complete sentences, on loose leaf and hand in. One of the sentences students were to find, in the News Journal article, was the sentence that contained the word "Darwinian." Students can probably find similar references to evolution in the online articles.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/opinion/18koeppel.html?pagewanted=all
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20080522/ai_n25445685?tag=content;col1
http://www.fruitguys.com/news/000213.shtml
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg17723784.800-going-bananas.html
http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2008-06/can-fruit-be-saved?single-page-view=true
https://www.wired.com/2017/03/humans-made-banana-perfect-soon-itll-gone/

A breakthrough-the approval of the first genetically modified bananas that are resistant to the fungus that has put the Cavendish variety banana on the road to extinction.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-16/australia-approves-first-genetically-modified-banana-panama-tr4/103476986?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web


Did you know that the pecan is the only major nut tree that is native to North America?  Understanding evolution is important in the production of our food crops.
http://www.ilovepecans.org/history.html

Here is a book and a blog that explain how understanding evolution can improve agriculture:
Denison, R. Ford. 2012. Darwinian Agriculture, How Understanding Evolution Can Improve Agriculture. 272 pages. Princeton University Press, New Jersey.  http://press.princeton.edu/titles/9777.html    The book is also available as an e-book.
Here is the Darwinian Agriculture blog: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/denis036/darwinianagriculture/

News about the Global Seed Vault
http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2015/10/19/syrian-seeds-withdrawn-from-arctic-doomsday-vault

Interesting Book for Discussions

Pollan, Michael. 2006. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A National History of Four Meals. 450 pages. Penguin.  Also available as an ebook.

For more reasons to understand evolution, the following posts also address the question: Why is Evolution Important Now?

 Why Is Evolution Important Now? Understanding Extinction and Our Environment
http://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2009/03/why-is-evolution-important-now.html

Why Is Evolution Important Now? Disease Prevention
http://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2009/02/why-is-evolution-important-now-disease.html

Why Is Evolution Important Now? Antibiotic Resistance
http://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2009/02/why-is-evolutions-important-now.html

Why Is Evolution Important Now? Understanding Predation
http://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2010/07/why-is-evolution-important-now.html

Why Is Evolution Important Now?  Battling the Bedbug Epidemic and Cockroach avoidance of bait - Pesticide Resistance
http://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2011/03/why-is-evolution-important-now-battling.html