We examine the principles of evolution by examining the fossil record, focusing on how past events shaped today’s biodiversity. We will start with the formation of the Earth, covering bacteria, algae, land plants, marine and terrestrial invertebrates and vertebrates, and conclude with today’s environmental changes. We’ll explore particular events, such as the preservation of fossils (unique preservation of deposits such as the Burgess Shale in British Columbia compared to standard preservation), the origin of variation in evolution (e.g., hominid skulls), ecology (e.g., the development of grasslands), and biomechanics (e.g., crinoids and oysters).
We also explore the unfortunate controversy that surrounds evolution in the U.S.A. By applying scientific tests to “intelligent design” we see that the arguments are creationist and stem from faith not logic. We work extensively with Judge John E. Jones’s 2005 well-reasoned decision to reject intelligent design in the Dover Area School District of Pennsylvania.
Finally, students write a paper in which they compare an element of the fossil record to popular culture. Past papers have examined scientific accuracy in Jurassic Park, the myth of the cyclops and the coevolutionary history insects and plants as a test for agricultural engineering.
Course text
Still thinking about the main text…
Selected readings by authors such as Bill Bryson, Ken Miller and the National Academy of Sciences.
Lab activities
This course counts for QSR (quantitative and symbolic reasoning) credit, and the labs do incorporate some math. As with so many courses at UW Bothell, you will understand how the mathematical arguments provide evidence for the arguments I’m making. If any of the assignments seem too challenging, I encourage you to ask for my help and/or visit the Quantitative Skills Center.
1. Metaphor for deep time
In class, we’ll explore the magnitude of geologic time, using metaphors like graphing major events in the history of life on the face of a clock or along the drive from Bothell to Seattle. After class, you will develop your own metaphor.
2. Preservation lab
We will examine the many different paths that lead to the preservation of fossils, like being covered by mud, getting transported down a river and turned into rock.
3. Radiometric dating lab
We will use an Excel spreadsheet to study the radioactive decay of different elements, and apply this decay system to determine the age of different rocks.
4. Hominid skulls lab
We will measure and compare the attributes on the skulls of chimpanzees and hominids. You will gain insight about the origin of variation from this lab. Your assignment is to complete a two-part worksheet.
5. Biases in the fossil record
The fossil record is biased. It is an imperfect record of the organisms that lived in the past. We will study some of the numerical techniques that paleontologists can use to become aware of and work with these biases instead of being stifled by them.
6. Playing with specimens
This lab will have a typical “practical” format. We’ll analyze a variety of fossils, and you’ll answer questions about the specimens that encourage you to think about, how they were preserved and what we can infer about their lifestyle.