In this Evolution Web feature, test your skills at judging who's who on the tree of life while you learn about the tools and methods of cladistics.
In this problem space, you will have access to the following materials: background information on HIV/AIDS, the original Markham et al. reference and other primary literature, viral sequences from each visit of each patient, patients' CD4 counts at each visit, phylogenetic trees of the virus sequences from each patient, a phylogenetic tree of each patient's starting consensus viral sequence, a published activity using this data from the book Microbes Count!, and additional materials prepared by other users of the problem space. You can use this data to explore a number of different questions. Here are a few general questions to get you started: Does the virus evolve the same way in different patients? Are there any specific mutations that cause rapid immune decline? What types of natural selection might be influencing HIV evolution? Is HIV being transmitted between patients after initial infection?
focuses on one of the most successful whaling captains in New England. Edward Penniman was 11 in 1842 when he signed on as cook on a schooner. Years later, as a captain, he set sail from New Bedford seven times to hunt whales. The trips generally took several years each. Letters indicate he did not like life at sea, but the money allowed him to afford a large ornate house, which is featured at this site, along with a brief a history of whaling in America.
