Lesson Summary: Evo in the news: A chink in HIV's evolutionary armor

Lesson summary for... Evo in the news: A chink in HIV's evolutionary armor Author/Source: UC Museum of Paleontology

Overview:	Medical researchers have spent billions of dollars and many decades trying to develop an HIV vaccine but have, thus far, failed. Why is an HIV vaccine so elusive? This news brief from March 2007 explains how HIV's rapid rate of evolution challenges medicine and describes a new discovery that may allow vaccine developers to sidestep that evolution.
Concepts:	This lesson covers the following concepts: Evolution results from selection acting upon genetic variation within a population. Mutations are random, but selection is not; selection is dependent on many factors. As with other scientific disciplines, evolutionary biology has applications that factor into everyday life.
Grade Level:	9-12
Time:	20 minutes
Teacher Background:	Explore these links for additional information on the topics covered in this lesson: Genetic Variation Relevance
Teaching Tips:	This article includes a set of discussion and extension questions for use in class. It also includes hints about related lessons that might be used in conjunction with this one.