Evolutionary developmental biology presents novel pathways for effective teaching of evolutionary principles

The Modern Evolutionary Synthesis of the mid‐twentieth century presented a unified approach to the understanding of evolutionary mechanisms by integrating studies of paleontology with those of modern genetics. In the past twenty years, the field of evolutionary developmental biology has not only added a third discipline to the synthesis, but has also provided surprising insights into the role of gene regulation in the evolution of animal body plans. Evolutionary developmental biology can also illustrate evolutionary principles in a comprehensive fashion, as it provides a means of visualizing gene expression in space and in time in a developing embryo. The College of General Studies at Boston University is finding ways of incorporating the central themes of evolutionary developmental biology into its core required undergraduate course on evolution, the history of the idea, and its mechanisms. The idea that alteration in gene expression during embryologic development is an important source of variation as well as a critical aspect of species stability not only informs students about the link between inheritance and selection, it also provides a map for illustrating how gene activity creates three‐dimensional forms. It thus provides a concrete means of explaining anatomical homology, an historically important body of evidence for evolution and one most easily studied by beginning biology students. Since understanding of evolutionary principles is an essential basis for the study of modern biology, examination of the findings of evolutionary developmental biology should be a required part of any basic biology course that deals with evolution.