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(changes in populations, genetic variation, differential survival and reproduction, natural selection, fossils, common ancestry, biological classification)

Population Genetics

State Standard:(651) Cellular and Molecular concepts, (652) Interdependence of Organisms and Biological Change.
Alignment with Inquiry Standard: Good
Description: Students perform simulations of meiosis/recombination to demonstrate the effects of population size and selection on allele frequencies in populations. Students generate evidence for the Hardy Weinberg equilibrium model, and test its key assumptions by varying the parameters of the simulation model.
Time: 50 to 90 minutes

Human Evolution

State Standard: (648) Unifying Concepts of Science; (649) Concepts of Scientific Inquiry; (652) Interdependence of Organisms and Biological Change
Alignment with Inquiry Standard: Good
Description: Students study the relationship between foot length and body height and use these data to estimate the height of Laetoli hominids.
Time: 50 minutes