Category: Readings

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Educational Resources Readings Webpages

Bottlenecks and founder effects

https://evolution.berkeley.edu/bottlenecks-and-founder-effects/

Very brief reading about bottleneck and founder effect with examples. Webpage is part of the Understanding Evolution website from UC Museum of Paleontology. Webpage is available in Spanish.

Used as a pre-class reading to prepare for a class covering genetic drift and other mechanisms of evolution.

Course content area – Population Genetics & Mechanisms of Evolution – Genetic drift, mutation, gene flow, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium

Course – Evolution & Behavior (100 level)

Campus – Hunter College

Categories
Educational Resources Readings Webpages

DNA and mutations

https://evolution.berkeley.edu/dna-and-mutations/

A series of webpages covering how DNA is the molecular basis of evolution and the role of mutations in evolution. Webpages are part of the Understanding Evolution website from UC Museum of Paleontology.

Assigned as a pre-class reading for a class on Raw Material – DNA, genes, variation, inheritance, epigenetics

Course content area – Raw Material – DNA, genes, variation, inheritance, epigenetics

Course – Evolution & Behavior (100 level)

Campus – Hunter College

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Educational Resources Readings

In jumpy flies and fiery mice, scientists see the roots of human emotions

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/04/06/1091086672/animal-human-emotions

NPR podcast, or article, by Jon Hamilton covering the work of David Anderson and other researchers who are exploring the neurological basis of emotions in non-human animals like fruit flies.

Given as an optional reading to support class material on Emotions

Course content area – Emotions

Course – Evolution & Behavior (100 level)

Campus – Hunter College

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Educational Resources Readings

Key Study: “The Sweaty T-shirt Study” (Wedekind et al. 1995)

https://www.themantic-education.com/ibpsych/2019/11/19/key-study-the-sweaty-t-shirt-study-wedekind-et-al-1995/

Article by Travis Dixon, IB Psychology webpage, describing the Sweaty T-shirt study and the role of MHC genes. Includes references and critical thinking questions.

Assigned to support material covered in a Sexual Selection class. Assigned along with For gay men, an attraction to a different kind of scent 

Course content area – Sexual Selection or Human Evolution & Behavior

Course – Evolution & Behavior (100 level)

Campus – Hunter College

Categories
Educational Resources Readings

For gay men, an attraction to a different kind of scent

https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/10/science/for-gay-men-an-attractionto-a-different-kind-of-scent.html?smid=url-share

New York Times article, by Nicholas Wade, describes research that is looking at patterns of brain activity when queer individuals smell pheromones of males and females.

I assign this article along with the famous t-shirt sniff article in which heterosexual females sniff the t-shirts of males and rate their attractiveness – Key Study: “The Sweaty T-shirt Study” (Wedekind et al. 1995)

Course content area – Sexual Selection or Human Evolution & Behavior

Course – Evolution & Behavior (100 level)

Campus – Hunter College

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Educational Resources Readings

Gene switches make prairie voles fall in love

Link to open access version – https://med.fsu.edu/sites/default/files/news-publications/print/Gene%20switches%20make%20prairie%20voles%20fall%20in%20love%2C%20Nature.pdf

CUNY Library Permalink https://cuny-hc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CUNY_HC/9p6vcd/cdi_crossref_primary_10_1038_nature_2013_13112

Cormier, Z. (2013). Gene switches make prairie voles fall in love. Nature (London) https://doi-org.proxy.wexler.hunter.cuny.edu/10.1038/nature.2013.13112

Nature News article by Zoe Cormier describes a study by Wang et al.(2013 – reference below) who found evidence that mating behavior activates epigenetic changes in the brain which then affects behavior.

Assigned as a pre-class article for a class on Tinbergen’s 4 questions.

Course content area – Explaining Behavior  – Tinbergen’s 4 Questions

Course – Evolution & Behavior (100 level)

Campus – Hunter College

Wang, H., Duclot, F., & Liu, Y. et al. (2013). Histone deacetylase inhibitors facilitate partner preference formation in female prairie voles. Nat Neurosci 16, 919–924 . https://doi-org.ezproxy.gc.cuny.edu/10.1038/nn.3420

Categories
Educational Resources Readings

Animal Communication section Britannica

https://www.britannica.com/science/animal-communication

Britannica encyclopedia section covering animal communication including – signal production, reception, and transmission, costs and benefits of communication, the evolution of signals, and honesty and deceit

Assigned as pre-class reading for class introducing animal communication.

Course content area – Communication

Course – Evolution & Behavior (100 level)

Campus – Hunter College

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Educational Resources Readings

In the oceans, the volume Is rising as never before

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/04/science/ocean-marine-noise-pollution.html

NY Times article about the impact of anthropogenic noise on ocean environments.

Included as an optional reading to support an in-class discussion when covering animal communication.

Course content area – Communication

Course – Evolution & Behavior (100 level)

Campus – Hunter College

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Educational Resources Readings

 Queer animals are everywhere. Science is finally catching on reading

Washington Post article by Eliot Schrefer discusses the impact of human culture on the study of animal sexual behaviors and the lack of understanding of how a behavior that does not lead to offspring can still improve an animal’s fitness. Article is available to listen to.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2022/06/30/queer-animals-are-everywhere-science-is-finally-catching/

Used as a pre-class reading to prepare for a class discussing the diversity of sexual behaviors found in the animal kingdom.

Course content area – Sexual Selection

Course – Evolution & Behavior (100 level)

Campus – Hunter College

Categories
Educational Resources Readings

Understanding Evolutionary Relationships – Phylogenetic trees

https://evolution.berkeley.edu/the-tree-room/evolutionary-trees-a-primer/understanding-evolutionary-relationships/

This webpage from, Understanding Evolution (UC Museum of Paleontology), explains how to interpret relatedness from a phylogenetic tree.

Included to supplement class material on phylogenetic trees.

Course content area – Evolution Basics – history (Lamark, Darwin), evidence (fossils, homology)

Course – Evolution & Behavior (100 level)

Campus – Hunter College