Toilet paper (TP) composition and physical characteristics were used to model scientific investigations that combined several "National Science Education Standards." Experiments with TP permitted the integration of TP history, societal change resulting from invention, mathematics (including geometry and statistics), germ theory, and personal…

Outlines some of the current scientific and educational issues related to behavioral genetics and recommends using behavior as a vehicle to improve the teaching of genetics at the high school level. Contains 77 references. (DDR)

Outlines an activity for large classes that helps students gain an understanding of the variety of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and the means of transmission of those diseases. (DDR)

Explains the use of a modification of an approach known as the Line of Reasoning (LOR) model to critique science news articles. Argues that popular press articles lack scientific evidence to support the claims made and instead focus on evidence-based inference. (DDR)

Seeks to give teachers useful information on the extent of the problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, mechanisms bacteria use to resist antibiotics, the causes of the emergence of antibiotic-resistant organisms, and practices that can prevent or reverse this trend. Contains 19 references. (DDR)

Presents a rationale for using the history of science in science education. Uses the life and work of Louis Pasteur to illustrate how the history of science can illustrate the nature of science. Describes how Pasteur's bourgeois ideology and ambition influenced his selection of problems to investigate. (over 35 references) (PR)

Describes Science/Technology/Society (STS) curriculum efforts in the United States which grew out of Project Synthesis. Discusses STS, biology, and life science education. (PR)

Presents an interview with biologist Stephen Jay Gould in which he discusses the state of biology education and the continuing debate over the evidence that supports the theory of evolution. (DDR)

Shares the perspectives and experiences of maintaining a balance between being a biologist and an educator. Cites recent work that highlights what is going well in science education and revisits the tension between the role of researcher and teacher. (DDR)

Reports on what appears to be a promising approach to the treatment and spread of cancer. Utilizes a mutant of the common cold virus that appears to kill many kinds of cancer cells but not normal cells. (DDR)

Presents information on the modern production of yogurt and describes a simple method for producing yogurt in the classroom using milk purchased from the grocery store. (WRM)

Reports on the development of a laboratory exercise that would allow students to explore the concept of genetic drift. Discusses the concept of genetic drift that is coincident with natural selection and that closely models the real world. (DDR)

Provides an exercise designed to give students an appreciation for the genetic basis of behavior. Employs the phenomenon of glucose aversion as an example of evolution by mutation and accelerated natural selection, thereby revealing one of the ways in which organisms adapt to human interference. (DDR)

Analyzes high school biology textbooks with the aim of providing descriptive information and determining the emphasis on scientific literacy themes of body of knowledge, nature of science, inquiry, and Science-Technology-Society (STS) issues. Concludes that the textbooks focus mainly on the knowledge of science and divorce science content from the…

Perceived risk is a function of information, knowledge, values, and perception. This exercise is designed to illustrate that in many situations there is no correct answer, only best-alternative choices. The exercise has five parts in which students work in groups of five. (LZ)