Presented by Stephanie Norris and Shannon O’Connor.
Transcript of Presented by Stephanie Norris and Shannon O’Connor.
“Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise of thereof.”
Different interpretations• “Free exercise” argument• “Establishment” argument
1920s: Teaching evolution was banned in schools
1925: Scopes trial 1968: Ban against teaching evolution
was ruled unconstitutional by Supreme Court
1970s: Fundamentalist Christians sought again to require the teaching of creation science, but ultimately ruled it to be a religious account of nature and not scientific
1923 Frye v. United States• “General acceptance within scientific
community as prerequisite for admitting scientific evidence in court”
1975 The Federal Rules of Evidence• Expert witness may testify in the form of an
opinion• Assign trial judge the task of ensuring that an
expert’s testimony both rests on reliable foundation and is relevant to the task at hand.
1993 Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals •Daubert rejects any formal checklist
Currently, judges are in charge of what is admissible in their court. •Results in a variety of contradictory decisions
1)Forensics• Due to variation in an
individual’s genome DNA can be used at crime scenes to identify individuals present
• Example: Rape cases, jogger in Central Park, and OJ Simpson Trial
2)Phylogeny• Due to the ability to
trace ancestry of a species, allows for the determination of the source of an infectious agents
• Example: Doctor who infected his mistress
3)Evolutionary Variation• Knowledge of variation across
an organism's life history can be used as evidence
• Feeding cycles differ greatly across insects. This knowledge can allow for the
determination of the amount of time that has past.
• Example: Missing girl’s time of death
Evolution has been attacked in the courts but, as Mindell has shown, it is now beginning to be used as scientific evidence in some trials. What might this shift indicate about public perceptions and misperceptions about the evolutionary science?
Evolutionary biology serves as a unifying concept for the life sciences
Comprehensive biological understanding
Application of evolution in education and research
Evolution of mitochondria and chloroplasts in eukaryotes
Phylogenetic analyses of homologous genes
Eukaryotic genomes
Benefits of sexual reproduction Segregation and recombination yields
variation Spreads advantageous traits and
removes deleterious ones through natural selection
Using the process of evolutionary biology in solving real world problems
Engineering, industry, and science 5 step process of applying
evolutionary algorithms in everyday life
How should evolution fit into education curriculum?
Policies for including evolution into public education
Scientific American. 2002. “Down with evolution!”
The requirement of evolutionary biology is increasing for biology majors in junior and senior years
Reputation for excellence in education of a university
Prepares students for careers in all science based fields
High school programs have the same goal as universities but different in implantation
Great risk of interference from creationist activists
Creationist activists want to include creationist view in curriculum and textbooks
Balanced treatment• 1982: McLean v. Arkansas Board of Education• 1987: Edwards v. Aguillard
Intelligent design• 2005: Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District
Teach the controversy about evolution approach
Restrictions on evolution cause widespread concern about quality of science education and preparedness for college
Mainstream cultures use a scientific worldview
Criterion of accuracy Many stories covered in media make
sense with an evolutionary world view, but would not make sense in a world without evolution
More people of faith are accepting evolution
Explaining human origins is only one aspect of evolutionary biology.
Applications are underappreciated by public
“Evolution is arguable the most inclusive of the biological sciences”
Evolution has penetrated not only the legal system and classroom but all throughout modern culture