Presented by Stephanie Norris and Shannon O’Connor

“Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise of thereof.”

Different interpretations• “Free exercise” argument• “Establishment” argument

1920s: Teaching evolution was banned in schools

1925: Scopes trial 1968: Ban against teaching evolution

was ruled unconstitutional by Supreme Court

1970s: Fundamentalist Christians sought again to require the teaching of creation science, but ultimately ruled it to be a religious account of nature and not scientific

1923 Frye v. United States• “General acceptance within scientific

community as prerequisite for admitting scientific evidence in court”

1975 The Federal Rules of Evidence• Expert witness may testify in the form of an

opinion• Assign trial judge the task of ensuring that an

expert’s testimony both rests on reliable foundation and is relevant to the task at hand.

1993 Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals •Daubert rejects any formal checklist

Currently, judges are in charge of what is admissible in their court. •Results in a variety of contradictory decisions

1)Forensics• Due to variation in an

individual’s genome DNA can be used at crime scenes to identify individuals present

• Example: Rape cases, jogger in Central Park, and OJ Simpson Trial

2)Phylogeny• Due to the ability to

trace ancestry of a species, allows for the determination of the source of an infectious agents

• Example: Doctor who infected his mistress

3)Evolutionary Variation• Knowledge of variation across

an organism's life history can be used as evidence

• Feeding cycles differ greatly across insects. This knowledge can allow for the

determination of the amount of time that has past.

• Example: Missing girl’s time of death

Evolution has been attacked in the courts but, as Mindell has shown, it is now beginning to be used as scientific evidence in some trials.  What might this shift indicate about public perceptions and misperceptions about the evolutionary science?

Evolutionary biology serves as a unifying concept for the life sciences

Comprehensive biological understanding

Application of evolution in education and research

Evolution of mitochondria and chloroplasts in eukaryotes

Phylogenetic analyses of homologous genes

Eukaryotic genomes

Benefits of sexual reproduction Segregation and recombination yields

variation Spreads advantageous traits and

removes deleterious ones through natural selection

Using the process of evolutionary biology in solving real world problems

Engineering, industry, and science 5 step process of applying

evolutionary algorithms in everyday life

How should evolution fit into education curriculum?

Policies for including evolution into public education

Scientific American. 2002. “Down with evolution!”

The requirement of evolutionary biology is increasing for biology majors in junior and senior years

Reputation for excellence in education of a university

Prepares students for careers in all science based fields

High school programs have the same goal as universities but different in implantation

Great risk of interference from creationist activists

Creationist activists want to include creationist view in curriculum and textbooks

Balanced treatment• 1982: McLean v. Arkansas Board of Education• 1987: Edwards v. Aguillard

Intelligent design• 2005: Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District

Teach the controversy about evolution approach

Restrictions on evolution cause widespread concern about quality of science education and preparedness for college

Mainstream cultures use a scientific worldview

Criterion of accuracy Many stories covered in media make

sense with an evolutionary world view, but would not make sense in a world without evolution

More people of faith are accepting evolution

Explaining human origins is only one aspect of evolutionary biology.

Applications are underappreciated by public

“Evolution is arguable the most inclusive of the biological sciences”

Evolution has penetrated not only the legal system and classroom but all throughout modern culture

What are the goals of education in science? How should evolutionary theory fit into these goals in public schools and in undergraduate studies?