Object-based learning is an approach that aims to foster observational skills and sensory awareness. Paradoxical plant objects that do not lend themselves to all-too-easy explanations and interpretations can be used to practice the search for ecological explanations and the formation of evolutionary hypotheses. They can be the basis of particularly fruitful and rewarding learning experiences. Gleditsia triacanthos , the honey locust, is a commonly planted ornamental tree. It exhibits striking structures of defense against – and fruit that point to a mutualism with – large animals. These structures, possibly developed in coevolution with Pleistocene faunas, invite a discussion of the complex, neither fully antagonistic nor fully mutualistic, relationships between plants and animals.

CRISPR (also known as CRISPR-Cas9) is a powerful biotechnology tool that gives scientists unprecedented access to the genetic makeup of all living organisms, including humans. It originally evolved as an adaptive immune system in bacteria to defend against viruses. When artificially harnessed in the laboratory it allows scientists to accurately and precisely edit genes, almost as if using a word processor. In mice, CRISPR has already been used to treat diabetes, muscular dystrophy, cancer, and blindness. CRISPR has made cultured human cells immune to HIV, and a variety of CRISPR experiments involving human embryos are well under way. But CRISPR is not limited to biomedical applications. It is also revolutionizing the food industry and many areas of biological research. This article provides science educators a broad and up-to-date overview of CRISPR, including its discovery, application, and bioethical challenges. It is imperative that science educators help prepare students, both majors and nonmajors, for this compelling new era of biology.

Forests are excellent “outdoor classrooms” for active learning in ecology and evolution; however, in many areas trees have no leaves or visible animal activity for much of the year. Fallen leaves may preserve evidence of interactions such as herbivory and infectious diseases, although these can be difficult to differentiate from mechanical damage and decomposition in older fallen leaves. I developed an exercise in which students collect fallen leaves and observe several different types of damage to the leaves. I provide images and descriptions of different types of damage and practices to differentiate them. In addition, I provide a list of questions that can be answered by collecting fallen leaves and observations of damage. My students gained valuable quantitative literacy skills by entering data into an online worksheet and performing various calculations and data analysis techniques. This exercise provides many benefits and can be an engaging addition to a high school's or college's outdoor curriculum outside of the growing season.

This index includes everything published in The American Biology Teacher during 2019 (Volume 81) except filler material. The index is alphabetical word-by-word. For example, “Educational” would follow “Education Theory.” In the page numbers, the issue number is listed first, then page number, and then one of the key codes shown at the right. For example, the entry (1.12-F) is issue #1 (January), page 21, and is a Feature Article. Page numbers indicate the first page of the article or department in which the entries appear. Entries are in three categories: Subject, Title, and Author.

Only about half of Americans are convinced that human activity is the major cause of climate change. This statistic highlights the increased need for high-quality climate science education but also highlights the fact that lessons on this subject are often complicated as denial argumentation abounds in classrooms. In order to achieve greater efficacy of and receptivity to climate science instruction, I propose the inclusion of lessons on the nature of science and the reframing of lessons in terms of risk management.

Engaging students in hands-on inquiry helps them develop skills associated with the scientific process. Development of simple experiments using model caterpillars can provide an experiential demonstration of the scientific process and ecological principles for high school students. Caterpillar models are formed from plasticine, a nontoxic, nondrying modeling clay, and are an excellent tool for quantifying relative predation rates by birds, small mammals, and invertebrates. Lifelike surrogate larvae are glued to vegetation for short periods (one week) and retain identifiable marks (beak, teeth, mandible imprints) following predator attack. This technique is simple, inexpensive, and provides rapid and clear results, rendering it a highly effective method of inquiry for high school students. Students can use these methods to ask a variety of research questions, such as comparison of predation in nearby habitats (park vs. backyard), vegetation (tree vs. shrub), season (spring vs. fall), or coloration (aposematic vs. camouflage). For many students, this may be one of few opportunities at the high school level to investigate science “in the field” and integrate scientific practices, such as the scientific method and inquiry, in an authentic research experience. Participants develop their scientific reasoning skills through creation of research questions and interpretation of results. They learn experimental technique, build field skills, and work collaboratively. This experiment aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards.

Commensalism is the association of two organisms, one of which derives benefit while the other is unaffected. These relationships are common in nature and in unexpected environments. A good example of commensalism is the survival of nematodes in the intestine of millipedes. The diversity of life capable of living in such an environment is remarkable, sometimes with as many as eight species of nematodes living in the same region of the intestine. The primary goal of this work is to inspire students to gain the requisite skills to discover new life in host organisms that are readily available, accessible, and, in most cases, inexpensive or free. We have created a laboratory protocol to study the diversity of nematode life living inside the millipede intestine. This exercise is designed to teach students to test hypotheses, use taxonomic keys, dissect a millipede, recover nematodes, record data, and formulate a written conclusion. There is a high likelihood that students will discover new species of nematodes during this exercise. The suggested experimental design will catalyze students to investigate the potential of discovering new life in a backyard organism, and simultaneously ignite curiosity and promote a hands-on approach to the application of the scientific method.

This index includes everything published in The American Biology Teacher during 2018 (Volume 80) except filler material. The index is alphabetical word-by-word. For example, “Educational” would follow “Education Theory.” The issue number is listed first, then page number, and then one of the key codes shown at the right. For example, the entry (1:2-F) is issue #1 (January), page 2, and is a Feature Article. Page numbers indicate the first page of the article or department in which the entries appear. Entries are in three categories: Subject, Title, and Author.

Evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) is a recently established discipline that connects evolutionary theory with developmental biology. However, despite evo-devo's integral use of diverse insect taxa as model systems and its interdisciplinary approach, current introductory entomology textbooks fail to fully integrate evo-devo into the undergraduate curriculum. We argue that an evo-devo case-study-based approach, focused on adult development, will not only familiarize students with exciting findings in this field, but will also help them deepen their understanding of basic entomological concepts. After a short background of the most important findings and methods currently used in evo-devo, we outline five case vignettes that span a variety of insect groups and entomological topics, including morphology and sexual selection.

Teachers often wonder how best to teach the myriad of social and ethical issues that are encompassed in the biology curriculum. One can just think of issues such as genetic engineering, evolution (and the continuous evolution-creationism debate), research ethics (the haunting book The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks comes to mind), human population studies, health care and nutrition, sexuality and gender, drugs, environmental pollution, to name but a few. In this article we highlight the advantages of puppetry in the biology classroom, as an engaging pedagogy that could assist conceptual change in students. We explore the dual epistemological border-crossing that takes place in the classroom when puppetry is used: (a) the integration of societal and ethical issues within the biology curriculum, and (b) the infusion of art and drama within the natural sciences. We reflect on our own classroom action research on puppetry, and share our main findings. We also provide practical guidelines for using puppetry as pedagogy within a problem-based and cooperative learning setting.

The majority of terrestrial plants associate with fungi in symbiotic resource-exchange relationships called mycorrhizae. Because of the importance of these mycorrhizal systems to ecosystem functioning, it is crucial that future resource managers and scientists have a solid understanding of mycorrhizal ecology. Limited interest of postsecondary students in plants and fungi compared with animals, combined with difficulties visualizing below-ground processes, present challenges for learning mycorrhizal concepts. To address this, we created the digital, plant-ecology-centric, action-based game Shroomroot for use in a second year, postsecondary Introduction to Soil Science course. We then assessed effects of Shroomroot on students’ knowledge acquisition and engagement with the topic of mycorrhizal ecology using a pre- and post-test evaluation. Students’ knowledge of mycorrhizal ecology increased significantly after playing Shroomroot, and tended to increase more for items related to Shroomroot gameplay than in rewards-based game content. Student engagement with mycorrhizal content tended to increase after gameplay. These results suggest positive potential for action-based, plant-ecology-oriented digital games in a postsecondary science curriculum. Furthermore, greater understanding of mycorrhizae has the potential to improve our multifaceted relationships with the ecosystems upon which we depend.

This index includes everything published in The American Biology Teacher during 2017 (Volume 79) except filler material. The index is alphabetical word-by-word. For example, “Educational” would follow “Education Theory.” The issue number is listed first, then page number, and then one of the key codes shown at the right. For example, the entry (1:42-H) is issue #1 (January), page 42, and is an How To Do It. Page numbers indicate the first page of the article or department in which the entries appear. Entries are in three categories: Subject, Title, and Author.

This article discusses the alluring topic of olfactory learning, which is often touched on in the literature but is rarely employed. I argue that olfactory learning, at its best, is achieved in contact with living nature, as in the plethora of scents that can be encountered and discussed in ecological context in a forest. An expected outcome is enhanced sensory awareness of the living environment.

Lists of vestigial biological structures in biology textbooks are so short that some young-Earth creationist authors claim that scientists have lost confidence in the existence of vestigial structures and can no longer identify any verifiable ones. We tested these hypotheses with a method that is easily adapted to biology classes. We used online search engines to find examples of 21st-century articles in primary scientific literature in which biological structures are identified as vestigial. Our results falsify these creationist hypotheses and show that scientists currently identify many structures as vestigial in animals, plants, and single-celled organisms. Examples include not only organs but also cells, organelles, and parts of molecules. Having students repeat this study will give them experience with hypothesis testing, introduce them to primary scientific articles, and further their education on vestigial structures.

This article reviews the discovery of RNA interference, its mechanism of action and its functions, and the principles, challenges, and strategies for RNA therapeutics.

A look back at some famous discoveries in biology highlights the competitive nature of science, the trophy being priority by publication.

In this activity for the beginning of a high school Biology 1 evolution unit, students are challenged to reconstruct organisms found in an owl pellet as a model for fossil reconstruction. They work in groups to develop hypotheses about what animal they have found, what environment it inhabited, and what niche it filled. At the end of the activity, the groups participate in a defense and peer review of their findings. This activity develops students’ knowledge of the nature of science, evidence for evolution, and individual thinking and reasoning skills.

Before beginning a series of presentations on evolution, it would be prudent to survey the general level of students’ understanding of prerequisite basic concepts of reproduction, heredity, ontology, and phenotypic diversity so that teachers can avoid devoting time to well-known subjects of general knowledge and can spend more time on subjects that are unknown, forgotten, or misunderstood by most students. This article outlines a Socratic method for surveying and teaching to address these concerns.