Feb. 12 marked 206 years since the birth of Charles Darwin in 1809. While Darwin Day festivities generally bypass the United States, the theory of evolution by natural selection remains one of the bedrock principles of the life sciences. But this wouldn’t be obvious upon examination of the way evolution is taught in public schools. In spite of the ongoing influence of evolution on our daily lives, it is often taught as an aside rather than a framework for a fundamental understanding of biology.
Put plainly, this is a disservice to students. Evolution is not a collection of names, dates and vocabulary terms — it’s a powerful force that underlies all of biology, and our quality of life depends on our understanding it. As such, education in evolution should live up to its potential and assume a central role in the biology classroom.
While evolution explains the origins of the present diversity of life, the same natural forces that resulted in our existence are still at work today. Strong modern examples of evolution can be observed in quickly reproducing infectious agents. The influenza virus continues to evolve each year because of mutations in viral genes, necessitating an annual flu vaccine to aid our immune systems in fighting this dynamic adversary.
As we develop new treatments for infectious diseases, evolution grants a competitive advantage to microbes that survive and reproduce in spite of our efforts to combat them. Tuberculosis, HIV, malaria and all infectious diseases play by these evolutionary rules as they continue to plague humans into the 21st century. A curriculum featuring similar examples would remain relevant to students tired of hearing about Darwin’s finches.
One reason for the current curriculum’s lack of rigor is evolution’s potential to court controversy — many educators are relieved to have evolution in the curriculum at all. Thankfully, the last major word in this debate, the federal court case Kitzmiller v. Dover in 2005, struck a decisive victory for the teaching of evolution in public schools. Here, Bush-appointed Judge John E. Jones III rebuked the teaching of intelligent design — thinly-veiled creationism — and described the school board’s decisions as “breathtaking inanity.” But to have won this debate and then provide a superficial education in evolution is a hollow victory indeed.
In my time here at UNC, I’ve been able to learn the biological sciences through the lens of evolution. It has been nothing short of enlightening to learn that the development of specialized proteins over billions of years, the progression of cancers and the distribution of sickle cell anemia across the world all have roots in evolutionary processes. Students should not have to pursue a college science education to receive such profound insights.
