Controversial Issues in Biology Education? You Bet! Here Are Some

Abstract

The sciences are full of controversial issues, and biology education has at least its share. I would like to identify a few that have been on my mind, some of which have several sub-issues. Why would we want to discuss controversial issues in biology education? First, because they raise questions, especially for biology students, and the questions deserve answers. Second, controversy creates interest and interest can improve motivation to learn biology. Thus, teachers can take advantage of controversy. I will not attempt to resolve the issues listed below but I will attempt to identify the nature of some of the issues that have been on my mind. I will not use references, because this is an editorial representing my own opinions. 1. Evolution. On a media frequency scale, the evolution of life on earth is probably still issue number 1. It has always puzzled me that this seems to be a bigger issue in the United States than anywhere else in the world. A basic issue is that academic research and discussion of modern evolutionary theories contradict literal interpretations of religious writings. Specifics can be found in some of the sub-issues. The most obvious are the differences in perceived timelines for the origin and evolution of life. Frequently published science-based timelines are those of the Big Bang (13––15 billion years ago [bya]), the …