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1 February 2019 Pancake Evolution: A Novel & Engaging Illustration of Natural Selection
D. Andrew Crain, Matthew Hale
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Abstract

Understanding the theory of natural selection is crucial for any student of biology, but many secondary and postsecondary students struggle with the concepts. We present a novel, engaging exercise to illustrate natural selection through making pancakes. After students make pancakes (representing offspring) with various ingredients (illustrating genetic diversity and allelic variation), other students (representing the environment) judge the pancakes on the basis of taste. Only the highest-ranking pancakes are made in a second generation (illustrating population change over time), and new ingredients are added. After several generations of pancakes, with each generation exposed to ever-changing “environments,” students understand the fundamental concepts associated with the theory of natural selection.

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D. Andrew Crain and Matthew Hale "Pancake Evolution: A Novel & Engaging Illustration of Natural Selection," The American Biology Teacher 81(2), 110-114, (1 February 2019). https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2019.81.2.110
Published: 1 February 2019
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KEYWORDS
evolution
NATURAL SELECTION
pancakes
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