Category: evolution
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Case studies in the Evolution Oxford Biology primer
The Oxford Biology primer contains a number of case studies on the evolution of familiar and unusual organisms, from finches to giraffes, peppered moths to wood rats! Here are some pages that give a feel for the book. Darwin’s finches have captured people’s imaginations ever since he first described them. In the 1970s they hooked…
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How did the ‘Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium’ get its funny name?
It is February 1908 and Reginald Punnett has just finished giving a lecture to the Royal Society of Medicine in London, when the unthinkable happens. He is ambushed by a question he cannot answer, posed by his enemies. By 1908, Mendel’s ‘lost’ paper had been re-discovered for eight years. Punnett’s boss and mentor William Bateson,…
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Updating the story of the peppered moth
There are a number of case studies in the Oxford Biology primer on Evolution that are revisited several times in the first four chapters. This post illustrates this for the story of the evolution of the peppered moth. This is an iconic example, which is taught all over the world as an example of natural…
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Evolution – a primer for 16-19 year olds
The book is beautifully illustrated and engaging. It is are aimed at 16 to 19 year olds who want to learn more and who may be contemplating a biological career. However, we also have several non-biologist and non-scientific adult friends who have bought and enjoyed Evolution. The first two chapters explore natural selection and how it…
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About this blog
This is the blog of Neil Ingram and reflects a variety of my interests over the years. As a biology teacher, university academic, examiner and author. I have been deeply interested in the use of IT in schools when Windows 3.0 came out in May 1990. About ten years ago, I was invited to be…