Lesson summary for...

Evo in the news: Happy 200th, Darwin!

Author/Source: UC Museum of Paleontology
Overview:This news brief, from February 2009, celebrates Darwin's bicentennial by examining what we've learned about the evolution of the Galapagos finches since Darwin's time.
Concepts:This lesson covers the following concepts:
  • Present-day species evolved from earlier species; the relatedness of organisms is the result of common ancestry.
  • Speciation is the splitting of one ancestral lineage into two or more descendant lineages.
  • Occupying new environments can provide new selection pressures and new opportunities, leading to speciation.
  • Theories are central to scientific thinking.
  • The story of the evolution of living things is always being refined as we gather more evidence.
Grade Level:9-12
Time:30 minutes
Teacher Background:Explore these links for additional information on the topics covered in this lesson:
Teaching Tips:This article includes a video podcast, a set of discussion and extension questions for use in class, and hints about related lessons that might be used in conjunction with this one.