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paleonet Doctors and Evolution




 Funny isn't it that any doctor would be an anti-evolutionist, given that in some respects they are on the front-line evolutionary battles with bacteria, HIV, malaria, and other diseases that literally are naturally selected by the very drugs that doctors apply right in front of their own noses.  I am very sorry that I did not emphasize even more this relevance to my Biology 1 class of 650 students, of whom about 90% must be pre-meds.  I am depressed by this, but I guess not surprised.   We, or at least I, will have to do a much better job with evolution, selection, and the medical condition of the world.  Sad. 

Anyone else deal with this problem in classes?   Must be a world-wide problem.   Let's get an evolutionary biologist (or paleobiologist even better] in every med school!

The new www.evolution.berkeley.edu site for teachers deals a bit with this.  [Although sponsored by Berkeley, I didn't have anything to do with it, but it did win a couple of prizes lately, so must be worth a look for teachers of evolution.]

Jere