Contextualization

Biological Evolution is one of the most fundamental concepts in the science of biology. It is the process through which changes in populations of organisms occur over time. This concept is key to understanding the diversity of life on our planet today, and how all forms of life are interconnected through a common genealogical tree.

The central idea of evolution is that life on Earth shares a common ancestor. This implies that all forms of life are genetically related. Life today is the result of millions of years of genetic changes. In this context, it is important to understand the main driving forces of evolution: natural selection, genetic drift, gene flow, and mutation.

Although the idea of evolution is often associated with the work of Charles Darwin, in fact, many scientists before and after him have contributed to the development of the modern theory of evolution, also known as the modern synthesis.

The study of evolution is not limited to the past. It has a significant impact on our daily lives, and a clear understanding of evolution can help elucidate many of the challenges we face in health, agriculture, conservation, etc.

Understanding evolution is essential to understanding our own species. Evolutionary theory allows us to better understand our biological history, which helps us understand why we are the way we are and why we act the way we do. Furthermore, evolution plays a crucial role in medicine and public health. It helps explain why diseases like COVID-19 emerge and why treatments for diseases like cancer often fail.

Here is a list of suggested resources for consultation:

1. On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin. This book, besides being a classic work, brings the first outlines of the theory of evolution.
2. Scientific American Brazil Website: Contains a series of articles on evolution.
3. Nature Magazine Website: Has a section dedicated to evolution with a series of articles and scientific papers on the subject.
4. Videos from Biologia Total YouTube Channel with Prof. Jubilut: A series of video lessons on evolution.

Practical Activity

Activity Title: "Recreating Evolution: A Natural Selection Simulation."

Project Objective:

To understand in a practical way how the fundamental concepts of biological evolution act over time. For this, students will simulate natural selection in a fictional scenario.

Detailed Project Description:

Students should imagine themselves as scientists of a newly discovered species on a remote island. Their task is to investigate and document the process of evolution over time of this new species in a simulation. Their work is to evaluate the impact of different environmental factors on the evolution of the species and observe the possible results.

Required Materials:

• Paper
• Markers of different colors
• Pencils and pens
• Computer with internet access for research
• Software to simulate evolution over time (for example, PhET)

Detailed Step-by-Step for Activity Execution:

1. Research and understand the key concepts of Evolution, such as: natural selection, genetic drift, gene flow, and mutation.
2. Divide the class into groups of 3 to 5 students, each group is responsible for a population of the new species.
3. Each group must create a detailed illustration of the new species and its habitat.
4. The groups must define a series of characteristics for their species (for example: size, color, speed).
5. Each characteristic must have two or more variants (for example: large/small, green/blue, fast/slow).
6. Using the simulation software, students must model how these characteristics change over time through natural selection.
7. The group should change the environmental conditions (for example, temperature, presence of predators, food availability) and observe how these changes impact the evolution of the species.
8. The groups must document their observations and results with rigor and clarity.
9. All group members must collaborate on writing the final project report, which will include an explanation of the key evolution concepts used, a detailed description of the species created and its habitat, an explanation of the simulation performed, the environmental changes made, and the results obtained.
10. This report should follow the structure: Introduction, Development, Conclusions, and Bibliography used. In the Introduction, they should contextualize the project and explain its relevance. In the Development, they should detail the simulation, explaining the steps taken and results obtained. In the Conclusions, they should summarize the main points and the learnings obtained. In the Bibliography, they should list all sources used to support the project.

Project Deliverables:

1. Illustration of the species and its habitat: a creative and detailed visual representation of the species, along with a written description of the defined characteristics and their variants.

2. Project Report: a complete document, written collaboratively, explaining the applied evolution concepts, detailing the simulation performed, and presenting the results obtained with the change of environmental conditions. This document will be the main project deliverable and must be clear, cohesive, and coherent, showing the students' understanding of evolution and their ability to apply these concepts in a practical situation.