First Pages Cotner 907-6

Sex and the Process of Science
1Lab
1 | Sex and the Process of Science 1
Goals
1. Clarify expectations for lab sessions.
2. Begin building a working relationship with
your peers and your TA.
3. Discuss the process of science and how
science is presented to the public.
4. Design an experiment to test some
features (e.g., permeability, tensile
strength) of different types of condoms.
5. Practice making graphs in Microsoft Excel.
Measurable Objectives
By the end of this laboratory exercise
(including the assigned reading and post-lab
work), you should be able to:
1. List some of the defining characteristics of
science.
2. Distinguish between the following
terms: observation, guess, hypothesis,
prediction, theory.
3. Develop a hypothesis and design an
experiment to test your hypothesis, using
the following terms: dependent variable,
independent variable, experiment, control.
4. Evaluate the legitimacy of scientific claims
in the media.
Homework
1. Read the pre-lab (up to “In-lab Activities”).
Understanding Science. University of California Museum of Paleontology. 15 May 2015.
Used with permission.
Process of Science Roadmap
Connections to Lecture
We will spend much of the course using the terms and skills developed in this lab. In
class, we’ll generate hypotheses to explain natural (typically sex-related) phenomena,
we’ll evaluate data, and we’ll make our own conclusions about the data. While
this is not a math or statistics course, a basic level of competence with collecting,
graphing, and interpreting data will go a long way in ensuring you get the most from
our discussions. In both lecture and lab assignments, you’ll be using basic “process of
science” skills all semester.
In lab this week, you'll be fully engaged in the process
of science – from making observations, to designing
and performing experiments, to acquiring and
communicating knowledge.

Evolution and Natural Selection
2Lab
2 | Evolution and Natural Selection 15
Goals
1. Read a scientific paper,
interpret the data, and
evaluate the claims made by
the authors.
2. Understand what evolution is
and what conditions must be
met for evolution to occur.
3. Conduct an experiment to
observe a population evolving
through natural selection.
Throughout the course, we’ll be developing and testing hypotheses to explain natural
phenomena. While most of these will be related to sex, gender, and sexual behavior,
many (e.g., antibiotic resistance) will not be overtly “sexy.” All the terms for this week’s
lab relate to lecture discussions, as does your ability to graph and interpret data.
These are skills you’ll use all semester. You’ll also be reading and discussing scientific
literature; this is key to understanding how scientific knowledge progresses. If you feel
unprepared, discuss any concerns with your lecture instructor or lab TA early!
Our lab activity this week will
emphasize "Testing Ideas,"
specifically gathering and
interpreting data.
By the end of this laboratory exercise, you should be
able to:
1. Explain the ways in which populations
evolve. Which of these mechanisms involves
adaptation?*
2. Based on your observations of a natural
phenomenon (e.g., some microbe populations
develop resistance to common antibiotics),
articulate a testable hypothesis to investigate the
nature of the phenomenon.
3. Be able to graph and interpret data in light of a
stated hypothesis.
* Hint: These are good pre-lab quiz questions as well!
Homework
1. Read the pre-lab (up to "in-lab activities") and
complete the pre-lab quiz on Canvas prior to lab.
2. Homework I assignment: Jigsaw #1—Reading
and Discussing Scientific Literature (due in lab).
3. Reflection I due on Canvas by Thursday at
11:55pm.

Genetics Part I
From Genotype to Phenotype
3Lab
3 | Genetics Part I - From Genotype to Phenotype 23
Goals
1. Understand how a DNA sequence
produces a protein product.
2. Research several genetic conditions.
3. Understand the structure of
chromosomes and the meaning of ploidy.
4. Understand how different alleles work
together to produce a phenotype.
Homework
1. Read the pre-lab and complete the
pre-lab quiz on Canvas prior to lab.
2. Reflection 2: Due on Canvas by Thursday
11:55pm.
1. Define (and give examples where
appropriate) the following terms: gene,
DNA, chromosome, gene expression,
allele, karyotype, mutation, ploidy,
homologous chromosomes, homozygous,
heterozygous, dominant, recessive,
complete dominance, incomplete
dominance, co-dominance.
2. Describe, in your own words, what genes
actually do for an organism.
3. Transcribe and translate a given DNA
sequence.
4. Use a DNA sequence to diagnose a
genetic condition.
5. Use a karyotype to diagnose a genetic
condition.
6. Solve problems involving heredity.
We’ll spend several classes discussing genetics, and the lab work is designed to
reinforce and apply these topics. All of the measurable objectives for this lab are valid
in lecture as well. Throughout the remainder of the semester, we’ll fall back on this
basic understanding of DNA, Central Dogma, and inheritance.
As part of our lab activities this week, we'll
discuss the implications of inheritance patterns,
and how we make decisions based on genetics
information.

Genetics Part II
Meiosis and Inheritance
4Lab
4 | Genetics Part II - Meiosis and Inheritance 47
Goals
1. Understand the role of meiosis in
sex and reproduction.
2. Appreciate how meiosis affects
ploidy.
3. Investigate how linkage affects
gamete diversity.
MeiosisM
eiosis
Fertili
zation
Haploid(n)
Haploid(n)
Mitosis
Diploid (2n)
Diploid (2n)
Zygote
Egg
Fertili
zation
Sperm
By the end of this laboratory exercise (including the
assigned reading and post-lab work), you should be
able to:
1. Define the following terms: meiosis, independent
assortment, linked genes, sex-linked genes.
2. Simulate meiosis using Popsicle sticks.
3. Model simple Mendelian inheritance using Mr.
Potato Head and computer simulations.
4. Explain how meiotic division generates a near-
infinite diversity of gamete types.
5. Demonstrate the effect of independent assortment
on offspring genotypic and phenotypic diversity.
Homework
1. Read the pre-lab reading and complete the pre-lab
quiz on Canvas prior to lab.
2. Complete (to the best of your ability, in pencil) the
meiosis diagrams on page 51. We have posted links
on canvas to help you work through meiosis. Use
these!
3. Complete the in-lab activities associated with Lab
3 Genotype to Phenotype (fly problems, genetics
practice problems and genetics case studies) and be
prepared to hand these in at the start of next lab.
Both of these concepts will be discussed in lecture as well as lab. Students often find
inheritance straightforward, and meiosis more challenging; our hope is to minimize
confusion about meiosis while clarifying how it is intrinsically tied to inheritance, sexual
reproduction, and evolution.

Biodiversity of
Reproductive Strategies
5Lab
5 | Biodiversity of Reproductive Strategies 59
Activities
1. Organism stations.
2. Organism presentations.
Goals
1. Understand that there are many different
ways organisms reproduce.
2. Realize that sexual reproduction is not
exclusive to “higher” organisms (such
as animals); nor is asexual reproduction
exclusive to “lower” organisms (such as
protozoa and bacteria).
Familiarize yourself with some fascinating
organisms.
By the end of this lab (and your associated
reading), you should be able to:
1. Define the terms on the following page.
2. Give examples of organisms that employ
the following strategies: self-fertilization,
parthenogenesis, sexual outcrossing,
budding, cloning, isogamy, anisogamy.
3. Explain situations in which the following
reproductive modes might be preferable
to sexual outcrossing: parthenogenesis,
spore formation, hermaphroditic selfing.
4. Answer the following: Do self-fertilizing
hermaphrodites receive any of the
evolutionary benefits of sex? Explain your
answer.
Homework
1. Read the pre-lab, complete the
definitions, and complete the pre-lab quiz
on Canvas prior to lab.
2. Prepare for in class genetics quiz. Use the
practice quiz posted on canvas to ensure
you are ready for this.
In both lecture and lab, we'll discuss the evolutionary problem of sex, and hypotheses
for how sex evolved and how it is maintained in populations. This discussion is only
important if you appreciate that there are many ways to reproduce, not all of them
sexual. Hopefully, this diversity will be evident after you are introduced to a variety of
organisms employing various reproductive strategies.

Testing Hyptheses about
Adolescent Sexual Behavior
6Lab
Developed by Cissy Ballen and Nick Newstrom
6 | Testing Hypotheses about Adolescent Sexual Behavior 69
Warning: This activity includes data related to violent sexual offenses and
abuse perpetrated by and committed against adolescents. If you feel unable
to participate due to the nature of the data, please let your TA know.
Activities
1. Read and discuss literature about
adolescents who committed sexual abuse.
2. Observe and interpret a real, anonymized
dataset of adolescents who did or did not
commit sexual abuse.
3. Develop a hypothesis to test using the
dataset.
4. Using the statistical software JMP,
graphically depict your results and use
descriptive statistics to draw conclusions.
5. Present the results of your research to
class.
Goals
1. Apply the process of science to develop
your own research questions and conduct
your own experiment.
2. Learn statistical techniques in JMP in
order to address a research question.
3. Graphically represent quantitative data in
JMP.
4. Learn about influential factors underlying
sexually offending behaviors, and how
they can inform future approaches to
assessment or treatment.
1. Identify causal factors that may be used
to predict sexually offending behaviors in
adolescents, according to the literature.
2. Articulate your own research: questions
to be addressed, rationale, hypothesis,
methodology, results, and conclusions.
3. Drawing from your own conclusions,
describe possible assessment techniques
or treatment approaches for adolescents
who committed sexual assaults.
4. Present your results in an oral
presentation, and a written reflection, at
the end of the semester.
Homework
1. Prepare Jigsaw #2 for Lab 6.
2. Reflection 3: Respond to prompts on
Canvas by Thursday at 11:55pm.
3. Read the pre-lab and complete the
pre-lab quiz on Canvas prior to lab.

Testing the Red Queen
7Lab
7 | Testing the Red Queen 87
Goals
1. Integrate your understanding of The
Red Queen with our previous lab on
Reproductive Strategies.
2. Understand one of the predictions of The
Red Queen—namely, sexual outcrossing is
(in some cases) superior to self-fertilization.
3. Learn additional laboratory techniques
(e.g., working with microscopic organisms).
Lab Breakdown
1. Prior to lab: Laboratory prep staff will
prepare nematode growth plates with
Serratia marcescens and E. coli.
2. In lab: “Seed” the prepared plates with
nematodes, either outcrossing or not.
Count worms and interpret data.
1. Answer the pre-lab questions.
2. Describe the life-history characteristics of
C. elegans.
3. Evaluate the pooled class data in light of
our specific prediction. (Did you gather
evidence that suggests sexual outcrossing
can be superior to selfing?)
Homework
2. Read the pre-lab, answer the pre-lab
questions, and complete the pre-lab quiz
on Canvas prior to lab.
In this lab, you'll focus on the "testing ideas"
aspects of science—specifically, collecting
and analyzing data, in light of a hypothesis.
We’ll discuss the evolutionary problem of sex in both lecture and lab; in lecture, we’ll
discuss different hypotheses for why sex evolved, but we’ll focus much of our discussion
on The Red Queen. The Red Queen is a hypothesis for the evolution and maintenance of
sex that can be broken down into several predictions. One of these predictions—sexual
outcrossing is superior to self-fertilization (or, outcrossing individuals have greater fitness
than their selfing counterparts)—is the focus of this lab activity. Other predictions (e.g.,
pathogens attack the most common phenotype) will be discussed further in lecture.

Testing Hypotheses about HIV
9Lab
8 | Testing Hypotheses about HIV 101
Activities
1. HIV transmission activity (explained by
your TA).
2. Investigating a mutation in HIV.
Goals
1. Understand the role that behavior plays in
the transmission of STDs.
2. Use HIV as a model for understanding
evolution.
3. Investigate the role of a single mutation
in HIV virulence (that is, see how we
determine whether a mutation has an
effect).
4. Test hypotheses about the evolution of
virulence in HIV.
1. Explain HIV’s life cycle.
2. Describe the features of HIV that make it
so pathogenic.
3. Describe at least one model explaining the
evolution of virulence in HIV.
4. List a few risk factors associated with
contracting HIV.
Homework
1. Watch the HIV life cycle, pathology,
and drug therapy animation:
http://biosingularity.wordpress.
com/2007/03/04/3d-animation-of-hiv-
replication/
2. Read all of the lab material.
3. Complete the pre-lab questions.
5. Bring a copy of the figures you intend to
use in your group research project and a
summary of what you think they mean to
share with your TA during lab this week.
In this lab, you'll use data
to test hypotheses about
the evolution of virulence
in HIV.
While we may not discuss HIV or AIDS in-depth in lecture, we do discuss evolution by
natural selection (for which HIV is an excellent model), and we also articulate many of
the costs of sex (including sexually transmitted disease).

Final Group Project Presentations
9Lab
9 | Final Group Project Presentations 113
Refer to Lab 6 for presentation expectations, including a grading rubric.
Homework
2. Post presentation slides to Dropbox on
Canvas before start of lab so that your
group is ready to go.

Sperm Competition
10Lab
10 | Sperm Competition 115
Goals
1. Understand the evolutionary conflict of
interest that can arise due to sex.
2. Gain an appreciation for evolutionary
adaptations in humans.
3. Learn about some fascinating adaptations
to sperm competition in other organisms.
1. Answer the question: Does sperm
competition occur in humans?
2. Design and execute an experiment
regarding sperm competition in humans.
3. Graph the data generated by your
experiment.
4. Communicate your experiment to the
class, including methods and results.
Homework
1. Reflection 7 (project peer review):
Respond to prompts on Canvas by
Thursday at 11:55pm.
2. Read the pre-lab material on sperm
competition.
3. Prepare your paper for the Jigsaw #3
assignment.
We will discuss sperm competition several times throughout the semester — in our
discussion of comparative anatomy (and ape genitalia), in our discussions of mating
systems, etc. This lab should help cement the basics of sperm competition — namely,
sperm competition arises when females have sex with two or more unrelated males,
and adaptations for sperm competition take many forms.
In this lab, you'll do it all! You will develop
hypotheses based on your reading
and observations, design and execute
experiments, collect and interpret data,
and share your findings.

Human Populations
11Lab
11 | Human Populations 121
Activities
1. Testing hypotheses about population
growth using Gapminder.
Goals
1. Understand how the human population
has changed over the last 60 years.
2. Be aware of factors that affect human
population growth in different parts of
the world.
1. Identify factors affecting human
populations.
2. Explain how and why certain factors
might be affecting human population
growth.
Homework
1. Read the introduction to this lab about
human populations and how to use the
Gapminder program.
2. Reflection 8: Respond to the prompts on
In lecture, we may briefly discuss certain fertility-related concepts, such as human
mating systems and age at first reproduction. However, this lab is your best option for
discussing these topics in depth.
Ideally, you'll use the data from Gapminder to
engage in the process of science. While you have
been given some "practice" examples, you should
follow those with your own questions, hypotheses,
and data exploration. It is important to realize that
data-mining (using collected data as a resource for
testing hypotheses) is legitimate science!

Reproductive Technologies
and Birth Control
12Lab
1 | Reproductive Technologies and Birth Control 127
Activities
1. Case studies in Assisted Reproductive
Technologies.
2. Birth Control.
Goals
1. Learn about some of the options and
issues faced by individuals seeking to have
a child.
2. Explore the legal and ethical ramifications
of reproductive technologies.
3. Know the variety of contraception options
available and their pros and cons.
By the end of this laboratory you should be
able to:
1. Explain how different reproductive
technologies work.
2. Explain under what conditions each
technology would be considered for use.
3. Articulate some of the ethical
considerations associated with assisted
reproductive technologies.
4. Determine which form of contraception is
best in a given situation.
Homework
We won’t really highlight reproductive technologies in lecture per se, however
this discussion will draw upon your understanding of reproductive anatomy and
physiology, which we will discuss in class.

Final Presentations
13Lab
12 | Final Presentations 141
Activities
1. Individual or group presentations.
Goals
1. Make connections between what you’ve
discussed in Biology 1003 this semester
and your life outside of this course.
By the end of this laboratory you should be
able to:
1. Demonstrate mastery of a concept from
the course — lecture or lab.
2. Prepare a presentation demonstrating
mastery of the topic, and its relevance to
you (your major, family history, cultural
background, skills, interests, etc.).
Homework
1. Prepare final presentation.
Final Presentations
In class—lecture and lab—this semester, we’ve discussed many different topics, all centered on
the Evolution and Biology Sex. Hopefully, you found much, if not all, of this material relevant
in some way to your interests, future goals, backgrounds, etc. Now is your chance to share
some of the connections you’ve made between this course and your lives outside of Biology
1003. Hopefully, by thinking about this task, you’ll appreciate why it is so important to the
University that every student take a natural-science course with a lab—namely, how we “do”
science, and how we use science to make decisions, are both very important features of our
society.
So, be creative! Are you majoring in marketing? Design a public-service campaign to reduce
STI’s. Are you interested in adolescent psychology? Write a brochure to help teens struggling
with gender identity or sexuality. Illustrate a children’s book about X and Y chromosomes.
Write a song, bake a cake, tell a fascinating story. These presentations should be informative
and entertaining…and fun!

First Pages Cotner 907-6

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