Biology textbooks tend to assert the correctness of evolutionary concepts hut mention very little of the evidence that supports them. This gives the impression that evolutionary theory is poorly supported, which discourages acceptance of the theory. A case in point is the age of the Earth. Biology textbooks usually mention that the planet is ∼4.6 billion years old but neither tell how that was determined nor give evidence that the method (radiometric dating) is reliable. Students are therefore given insufficient reason to doubt that the Earth is any older than the 6000 years that the Genesis account suggests. Here, therefore, I review the evidence for an old Earth, to provide a concise but thorough reference for teachers who wish to supplement the meager information in textbooks with further details. Earth's age is relevant to biology because an old Earth is necessary for macroevolution to occur and also because some dating methods (e.g., dendrochronology, varves) use materials of biological origin.

Creatures from science fiction and fantasy can be used to illustrate key concepts and principles in biology. This article describes a project for a university-level general zoology course wherein the students classify, down to at least the phylum level, “animals” from the Alien Species Wiki (2013). This is an online database of creatures from television, film, literature, and games. The primary challenges that the students faced were overly fantastical hybridizations and assigning reality-based classification mechanisms to fictional beings, but the project is a useful exercise in creativity, knowledge of diagnostic characteristics, and the wonder of discovery of new, previously unexplainable physio-morphologies.

An essential element of science instruction is content literacy. In order to improve literacy specific to science, vocabulary must be addressed. As jitendra et al. (2004) pointed out, “because learning vocabulary during independent reading is very inefficient for students with reading difficulties, vocabulary and word learning skills must be taught.” We provide a summary of an investigation to improve the technology-based vocabulary of students with learning disabilities in a freshman high school biology class. The procedures for the project are provided, along with lessons learned about vocabulary instruction of students with disabilities.

Undergraduate biology education is undergoing dramatic changes, emphasizing student training in the “tools and practices” of science, particularly quantitative and problem-solving skills. We redesigned a freshman ecology lab to emphasize the importance of scientific inquiry and quantitative reasoning in biology. This multi-week investigation uses observations of avian form and function and an extensive student-generated data set to introduce hypothesis testing, experimental design, and biological statistics. Research groups compare feeding preferences (location and seed selection) between selected species of wild birds, evaluating their findings quantitatively through descriptive statistics, graphing, and data analysis, and ecologically through comparisons of species biology and natural history.

We provide a 5E structured-inquiry lesson so that students can learn more of the mathematics behind the logistic model of population biology. By using models and mathematics, students understand how population dynamics can be influenced by relatively simple changes in the environment.

Biology and mathematics are inextricably linked. In this article, we show a few of the many areas in which this linkage might be made explicit. By doing so, teachers can deepen students' understanding and appreciation of both subjects. In this article, we explore some of these areas, providing brief explanations of the mathematics and some of the applications in biology, with ideas for some of the investigations that teachers might wish to pose to their students.

To create rich learning experiences, it is important to engage students from the very beginning of a course and lay the foundation for constructing a community of active learners. The activities described here using “organism cards” connect students' previous knowledge to course goals and address key themes in biology while initiating student-centered and active learning. Using these approaches from the very first day of class can contribute to creating a positive learning environment in which students engage with each other and instructors, resulting in significant learning experiences.