Relevant material from MIT's introductory courses to support students as they study and educators as they teach the AP Biology curriculum.

In Chiapas, one of the poorest states in Mexico, an estimated 150,000 children are malnourished. To end this problem, governments have implemented food security policies, including food importation and industrial food production. In 2008 alone, Mexico imported 20 million tons of food. While these policies certainly help to remedy the problem in the short term, the massive importation of basic foodstuffs and incentives to industrial agriculture may widen social inequality, threaten health and deteriorate biodiversity and ecosystem services. I will present the objectives and achievements of initiatives born in the highlands of Chiapas to enhance local food production free of hazardous pesticides and appropriate to the culture of the region. Examples include the rescue of local knowledge for food production, a school gardens program and the Network of Producers and Consumers for Healthy Local Food.

Most of the major categories of adaptive behavior can be seen in all animals. This course begins with the evolution of behavior, the driver of nervous system evolution, reviewed using concepts developed in ethology, sociobiology, other comparative studies, and in studies of brain evolution. The roles of various types of plasticity are considered, as well as foraging and feeding, defensive and aggressive behavior, courtship and reproduction, migration and navigation, social activities and communication, with contributions of inherited patterns and cognitive abilities. Both field and laboratory based studies are reviewed; and finally, human behavior is considered within the context of primate studies.

This site features links to broadcast quality audio files and transcripts from an interview with Dr. Carol Stoker about the Mars Analog Research and Technology Experiment (MARTE) which is to take place near the Rio Tinto in Spain. Interview topics include the MARTE expedition, the definition of an extremophile, the significance of the color and pH of Rio Tinto, equipment for the MARTE experiment, the possibility of a Mars drilling mission, and the resemblance of Rio Tinto geochemistry to that of Mars.

This course will introduce the student to the major concepts of biotechnology. The student will discuss genetic engineering of plants and animals and the current major medical, environmental, and agricultural applications of each. There are also a variety of topics that this course will cover after ranging from nanobiotechnology to environmental biotechnology. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: identify and describe the fields of biotechnology; compare and contrast forward and reverse genetics and the way they influence biodiversity; compare and contrast systemic studies of the genome, transcriptome, and proteome; explain how genome projects are performed, and discuss the completion and the information processing in these projects; describe and explain the principles of existing gene therapies; design strategies that support genetic counseling; explain and analyze DNA fingerprints, and compare DNA fingerprints to non-DNA biometrics; describe and compare bioremediation technologies in air, water, and soil; design strategies for generating genetically modified organisms, and discuss ethical concerns; discuss emerging fields in biotechnology. (Biology 403)

Join us on a special trip up to Bathurst Island to record birdsongs, and learn about how you can use bird observations to create scientific inquiry in your classroom using ebird.org and birds.cornell.edu/birdsleuth.

In this course, you will learn the basics of plant biology. The student will begin with plant anatomy, learning the names and functions of all of the parts of a plant, then move on to plant physiology, where you will learn about photosynthesis, growth, and reproduction. Next, the student will study plant evolution according to the fossil record and examine the diversity of plant life in existence today and how that diversity impacts global ecology. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: identify and describe the functions of the different cells, tissues, and organs that make up a plant; describe the major life processes in plants (photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration, growth and development, and reproduction) at the tissue, organ, cellular, and molecular level; explain the history and evolution of plants on earth; discuss plant diversity and identify the major characteristics of plant phylogenetic divisions; explain how plants fit into the global ecological system and why they are essential for life on earth. (Biology 306)

Students are introduced to the work of botanists and botanical illustrators, and specifically to their race to make records of endangered plant species around the world. Students examine illustrations, photographs, and dried specimens of endangered plants and consider the conservation value of an illustration over a photographic image. In a second session, students try their own hands at botanical illustration and follow the methods of a Smithsonian staff illustrator. Pencils, markers, tracing paper, and access to a photocopier are required.

This Climate Change Impacts Collection provides the teacher and their students the opportunity to explore some of the environmental changes already observed, from the Arctic to tropical regions. Data sources provide historic precipitation and temperature records, allowing students to compare changes in their own local area to others. Lessons included, provide opportunities for place-based instruction related to climate change, others provided a more global perspective. The background resources provided in this collection tend to be for the teacher and/or the advanced student.

Dr. Richard Field research interests lie in conservation, biodiversity and the forces that structure ecological communities.
In this podcast, Dr Field from the School of Geography compares and contrasts his experiences as a researcher in national parks in Honduras and Indonesia, and the different types of ecological communities he has studied, and goes on to introduce the emerging field of conservation bio-geography.

Lecture series coordinated by Alec Erwin, Honorary Professor of Economics University of the Western Cape. Considerable economic and other challenges face contemporary states around the world. This is even more the case for Africa, where the developmental issues are massive. This course will examine the implications of a commitment to a 'developmental state' for South Africa and Africa, and assess key contemporary challenges. ' Development' is a complex concept and the role that states have played, or can play, in achieving development is also a contested area. The first lecture will consider these issues with specific reference to Africa and South Africa. Attention will then turn to the critical policy balance between development and environmental sustainability - an issue made more pressing as the reality of climate change is increasingly felt. The third lecture will examine how the size and complexity of the large energy systems relied upon by the world economies pose major new structural challenges. South Africa's future depends as much on the development of Africa, as on its own development. Do African states have the capacity to lead the developmental process? This issue will be the subject of the fourth lecture. The final lecture will consider whether the claims that South Africa is a 'developmental state' are justified or even possible. Alec Erwin, a past Minister of Trade and Industry and of Public Enterprises, will give two of the lectures, and significant South African and regional economists and policy thinkers will contribute to the course.

This Web site is a firsthand report from an expedition to Patagonia in which the first dinosaur embryos with fossilized skin were found. It tells the story of the find, which was made by scientists who were actually looking for early birds and their ancestors. Discovery explains the original mission of the expedition and the remarkable find of a nesting site that contained thousands of dinosaur eggs. What Does a Paleontologist See? challenges students to find dinosaur remains in two rock specimens. (Answers can be checked by rolling the mouse over the images.) The Place profiles Patagonia with an excerpt from an audio interview with one of the expedition leaders. The Team features photographs and bios of the 14 scientists who made the discovery, as well as links to related Web sites. Dig Deeper answers a number of questions about the expedition, from what the most important expedition equipment was to the next steps in the research. Listen answers the question of What kind of dinosaur laid the eggs at the nesting site? with an English and Spanish audio recording. Publications provides a select list of books and articles by the expedition's two lead scientists, and includes abstracts of and excerpts from their work.

This course will focus on the history of mankind's relationship with the natural world. The student will examine how environmental factors have shaped the development and growth of civilizations around the world and analyze how these civilizations have altered their environments in positive and negative ways. By the end of the course, the student will better understand the reciprocal relationship between human beings and the natural environment and how this relationship has evolved throughout human history. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: think critically about the historical relationship between humans and the natural environment; identify how early humans modified and adapted natural resources for agricultural and commercial purposes; analyze how human settlements altered the natural environment and evaluate how environmental factors shaped the growth of early civilizations; evaluate how new agricultural and commercial practices altered the natural environment across the globe during the Middle Ages; identify how environmental factors, such as disease and pollution, shaped political and social life in Europe during the Early-Modern Era; evaluate how the Columbian Exchange resulted in significant ecological and biological changes in Europe and the Americas and dramatically altered human societies on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean; analyze the impact of industrialization on human society during the Modern Era and evaluate how governmental and nongovernmental actors have attempted to ameliorate the negative environmental consequences of industrialization; identify current environmental challenges facing humanity and analyze these challenges from a historical perspective; analyze and interpret primary and secondary source documents relating to environmental history using historical research methods. (History 364)

Access to water is very unequal in Mexico and indigenous municipalities are particularly disadvantaged. The paper analyzes empirically the unequal access to water across Mexican municipalities and across individuals for the period of 2000-2005 using regression analysis. The contributions of this paper are two-fold. First, it expands the focus of the literature of ethnic fragmentation and public good provisions from level to distribution; and second, it presents an ethnic fractionalization index at the municipality level based on salient ethnic divide. The results show that there is a systematic water gap between indigenous and non-indigenous populations, even after controlling for various factors. The findings suggest that explanations of the negative relationship are related to discrimination and marginalization rather than differences in preferences across ethnically diverse groups.

An integrated course stressing the principles of biology. Life processes are examined primarily at the organismal and population levels. Intended for students majoring in biology or for non-majors who wish to take advanced biology courses.

This course will focus on the emergence and evolution of industrial societies around the world. The student will begin by comparing the legacies of industry in ancient and early modern Europe and Asia and examining the agricultural and commercial advances that laid the groundwork for the Industrial Revolution. The student will then follow the history of industrialization in different parts of the world, taking a close look at the economic, social, and environmental effects of industrialization. This course ultimately examines how industrialization developed, spread across the globe, and shaped everyday life in the modern era. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: identify key ideas and events in the history of industrialization; identify connections between the development of capitalism and the development of modern industry; use analytical tools to evaluate the factors contributing to industrial change in different societies; identify the consequences of industrialization in the 19th and 20th centuries in different societies; critique historical interpretations of the causes and effects of industrialization; and analyze and interpret primary source documents describing the process of industrialization and life in industrial societies. (History 363)

The Great Lakes are socially, economically, and environmentally significant to the region, the nation, and the planet." This an essential principle for Great Lakes literacy. The Great Lakes Literacy Principles and Fundamental Concepts provide a framework for educators teaching about the Great Lakes, helping teachers and students think, teach and learn of the Great Lakes as a system, rather than a set of unrelated parts. Thinking systemically can provide for a greater understanding and can help provide solutions to the issues threatening the region.

This Great Moments in Science radio transcript discusses the history of bioluminescence. It covers the first scientists to study bioluminescence, organisms capable of making light, biochemistry of the phenomena, and interesting stories. The audio version of this program can be downloaded and requires RealPlayer.

A substantial increase in freshwater running into the northern Atlantic Ocean could dramatically affect climate and global ocean currents. This audio segment from National Public Radio presents viewpoints from scientists studying changes in ocean circulation.