Remembering the forest while viewing the trees: Evolutionary thinking in the teaching of molecular biology

Abstract

Given the centrality of evolutionary theory to the study of biology, we present a strategy for reinforcing its importance by appropriately recontextualizing classic and well-known experiments that are not explicitly linked with evolution in conventional texts. This exercise gives students an appreciation of the applicability of the theory of evolution in diverse contexts, including those where it is not explicitly mentioned. © 2013 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 42(2):162-164, 2014.