Dennis Liu

Science Denial and the Science Classroom

Biology teachers are accustomed to engaging individuals who do not accept biological evolution. Denial of evolution ranges from ignorance of the evidence to outright denial or distortion of data. The list of science denial topics has grown alarmingly over the years to include: HIV as the cause of AIDS, exaggeration of the health and environmental risks of genetically modified organisms, existence of holes in the ozone layer, the rise in antibiotic resistance, health risks caused by cigarette smoking, exaggeration and denial of harmful side effects of pesticides, water and environmental damage caused by hydraulic fracturing, the fear that vaccines do more harm than good, and, of course, global warming and climate change. Teaching climate science has become so perilous in some school districts that the National Center for Science Education, long known for activism in the arena of evolution education, has greatly expanded efforts in the arena of climate (http://ncse.com/climate).

Engaging Teachers, Scientists, and Multimedia to Promote Learning

BioInteractive focuses on scientists and their research, while engaging with teachers to improve educational materials and practice. There are many Web sites supporting instruction in the life sciences (1). One such effort, the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes (HHMIs) BioInteractive (biointeractive.org), developed from a focus on practicing scientists explaining their research; engaging explanations driven by compelling examples and graphics; and meaningful dialogue with instructors to improve products and to facilitate classroom adoption of materials (2).

Physics and Biology Collaborate to Color the World.

To understand how life works, it is essential to understand physics and chemistry. Physics informs and enlightens biology in myriad dimensions, yet many biology courses proceed with little or no consideration of physical properties or principles. The intersection between physics and biology is explored in this review of online media.

Where Do New Medicines Come From

Ask your students where they think new medicines come from. For that matter, how about old medicines? Aspirin, perhaps the most famous medicine, has a very interesting history that entails folk medicine, chemistry, clinical research, and molecular biology. Bayer has a website called Wonderdrug (www.wonderdrug.com/pain/asp_history.htm), where you can see a timeline of aspirins history, which reaches back to before ancient Greece. On the subject of painkillers, I was musing over the yin and yang of basic and applied research the other day while in the endodontists chair for a root canal. My “endo” was telling me about all the different “medicines” he was using. To keep myself occupied, I tried ticking off what was primarily the fruit of basic versus applied research. The procaine injections were a result of mostly applied research, but using basic chemistry to improve cocaine. Sodium hypochlorite as well as the drill and tiny canal files were definitely the products of applied research. The microscope has its origins in basic research but has matured into applied technology. EDTA and osteoclast-osteoblast modulating factors are the fruits of basic research. But none of my determinations were really tidy or definitive.

BioDiversifying the Curriculum

The conundrum of biodiversity is that theres so much of it, more species than a person can count, more interactions than a supercomputer could calculate. At the same time, this unknown quantity is getting smaller at an alarming rate. Biodiversity as a life sciences subject touches evolution, ecology, conservation biology, and environmental studies. The educational challenge is to infuse biodiversity into the curriculum while emphasizing the science and addressing common misconceptions and gaps in student knowledge about biodiversity. What is biodiversity? Why is biodiversity important? Where is biodiversity? How does it arise? In a previous review (Liu, 2005 ), I focused on websites that support the teaching of evolution. The websites featured in that review continue to be outstanding resources. In particular the Understanding Evolution website (http://evolution.berkeley.edu) of the Berkeley Museum of Paleontology is a dynamic website that addresses biodiversity in relation to evolution. For this review, I emphasize some of the products of evolution, systematics, communities of organisms, and the environment, rather than the underlying genetic mechanisms of evolution.