Biotechnology Institute News room
Biotechnology Institute to Distribute New Book on Evolution
Arlington, Va. (January 16, 2008) – The Biotechnology Institute, the national biotechnology education organization, has entered into an agreement with the National Academies to distribute Science, Evolution, and Creationism to top leaders of biotechnology companies and to members of its large national network of teacher-leaders.
Published by the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine on January 4, this new edition of the influential book gives the public a comprehensive and up-to-date picture of the current scientific understanding of evolution and its importance in the science classroom. “This book will be made available to our nationwide networks of CEOs who believe that this nation must retain its leadership in science education and to teacher-leaders so they can incorporate it into their biotechnology curriculum,” says Paul A. Hanle, president of the Biotechnology Institute. “It is part of our continuing effort to provide teachers the unbiased, fact-based information they need to teach biotechnology in science classrooms across the nation.”
Evolution, the evidence-based theory that all living organisms have descended from common ancestors, is a cornerstone principle of the biological sciences on which biotechnology is based, says Hanle. “Understanding evolution is essential to identifying and treating disease,” said Harvey Fineberg, president of IOM. “For example, the SARS virus evolved from an ancestor virus that was discovered by DNA sequencing. Learning about SARS’ genetic similarities and mutations has helped scientists understand how the virus evolved. This kind of knowledge can help us anticipate and contain infections that emerge in the future.”
The book was supported in part by the Biotechnology Institute, with other funding from the NAS, IOM, the Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation, and the Coalition of Scientific Societies.
The Biotechnology Institute’s pro-evolution efforts were initiated with an August 2006 position statement condemning efforts to introduce nonscientific views into public school science classes through the teaching of various forms of creationism or intelligent design. It continued with a vigorous communications campaign to media and supporters of the Institute, particularly its nationwide network of biotechnology industry supporters and Teacher-Leaders who participate in the National Biotechnology Teacher-Leader Program.
Science, Evolution, and Creationism is the third edition of a publication first issued in 1984 and updated in 1999. The current book was written by a committee chaired by Francisco Ayala, Donald Bren Professor of Biological Sciences, department of ecology and evolutionary biology, University of California, Irvine, and author of several books on science and religion.
The PDF version of the book and a variety of other resources for teaching evolution in the classroom are available at the Biotechnology Institute website at http://www.biotechinstitute.org/teaching_evolution/. The print version of the book is available from the National Academies Press at www.nap.edu/sec for $12.95.
About the Biotechnology Institute
The Biotechnology Institute is an independent, national nonprofit organization dedicated to education about the present and future impact of biotechnology. Its mission is to engage, excite and educate the public, particularly students and teachers, about biotechnology and its immense potential for solving human health, food and environmental problems. For more information, visit www.biotechinstitute.org.
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Jeff Ghannam
Communications Director
703-248-8681
jghannam@biotechinstitute.org
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