Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Creating Phylogenetic Trees from DNA Sequences
How closely are animals related? Check their phylogenetic trees! The use of DNA sequencing altered our understanding of these relationships. Individuals explore and gain a better understanding of how scientists sort, align, and determine...
Curated OER
Tree of Life
Students study genetics and evolution. They evaluate a group of organisms and estimate their genetic relatedness. Then they use an online program to check the accuracy of their estimations and make a branching phylogenetic tree which...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Explore Your Inner Animals
Human bodies prove evolution thanks to our genes, bones, and more. Learning about specific body parts and how they evolved from other species helps individuals better understand the transition species that helped us become who we are today.
Curated OER
A Tree of Life Activity
Students solve a mystery of the identification of a unknown organism by comparing its morphological characteristics to those in a tree of life classification poster. They compare the observable characteristics of the specimen and...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Comparative Anatomy of the Domestic Chicken
Are chickens and crocodiles really related? Young scientists compare the bone structure of current domestic chickens to other animals throughout evolution. This helps them understand the branches that separate crocodiles and birds as...
Curated OER
A Tree Full of Ancestors
Students study human evolution and the scientific process. They complete the Origins of Humankind Web activity to become familiar with the hominid species as well as the associated evidence found, in the form of fossils and artifacts.
Curated OER
Fun with Phylogenetic Trees
Tenth graders differentiate angiosperms and gymnosperms. In this biology lesson, 10th graders construct a musical phylogenetic tree from information they gathered on resource websites. They present their project in class.
Biology Junction
Kingdom: Fungi
Based on DNA, fungi relate more closely to animals than to plants. This new scientific knowledge shifted the world view of scientists and opened up new classifications. Viewers learn about fungi's place in evolution, in the tree of life,...
Curated OER
Primate Evolution
In this evolution activity, students review 9 terms associated with the evolution of primates. Students place 6 terms into a crossword puzzle and 3 terms into fill in the blank statements.
Curated OER
Primate Characteristics and Exaptation
High schoolers compare the features of gorilla to humans. In this biology lesson, students simulate adaptation using materials found in the classroom. They explain what exaptation means.