The Origins and Evolution of Human Bipedality
Have you ever stopped to think about how odd humans are? Not, like, in general, but biologically? For one thing, very few other animals walk the way we walk, on just two limbs. Our closest living [...]
Artificial Selection and the Evolution of Domestic Dogs
Looking at a wolf and a German shepherd, it is easy to think: "Sure, related." But what about a wolf and a Pekinese? Have you ever seen those dogs? They look like adorable walking footstools! [...]
From Lab to Newsfeeds: Why We Need to Be Skeptical (Like A Scientist) in the Age of COVID-19
What do we do about the microscopic particle of all-things-bad coronavirus? Well, to quote Matt Damon in The Martian: We’re going to have to science the *bleep* out of this. And it's never been [...]
Using Corals to Determine Past Sea Temperatures
When you think Galápagos, you probably think about biology (and with good reason), but as BiteScis co-founder Shannon Morey explains in this lesson, physics provides the key to understanding how [...]
Intermolecular Bonding in Polymers
There are more than 100,000 people in the United States in need of a healthy organ, whether liver, kidney, heart, or something else. Wouldn't it be great if instead of having to wait for a donor, [...]
Evidence of Evolution: Homologous Gene Expression in Four Mammal Species
What do a bat, a pig, a mouse, and an opossum have in common? In this lesson plan students will explore both the structural and genetic homology of tetrapods!
HIV: Sequencing and Common Ancestry
Using DNA analysis, researchers were able to effectively trace the evolution of HIV backwards in time to find the common ancestor of HIV samples circulating among humans today. Why is that [...]
Evolution and E. coli: Natural Selection in a Constant Environment
Researchers have been tracking E.coli through 60,000 generations to answer a fundamental question: How does natural selection work in a constant, stable environment?
From Gene to Disease: Sickle Cell Anemia
Think that evolution always results in disadvantageous traits becoming less common in a population? Think again.
