Evolution Lab Overview

The Evolution Lab is an interactive educational platform created by NOVA Labs, part of PBS, which explores the relationships between species through evolutionary concepts.

Main Features

• Deep Tree Activity:
  • Offers insights into the relationships between over 70,000 species showing how evolution connects all life forms.
  • The activity emphasizes the concept that all organisms are related through evolution.

Fractal Tree Controls

• Angle: 45
• Complexity: 9
• Size: 90
• Thickness: 1
• Color Settings:
  • Red, Green, Blue
  • Additive

Missions

The lab includes several missions designed to explore different aspects of evolutionary biology by using a fractal tree model to track progress:

1. Mission 1: Training Trees

   • Introduction to growing a fractal "tree" and tracking evolutionary progress.

2. Mission 2: Fossils - Rocking the Earth

   • Looks at how fossils can inform our understanding of evolutionary history.

3. Mission 3: DNA Spells Evolution

   • Focuses on how DNA contributes to the evolutionary process and connects species.

4. Mission 4: Biogeography - Where Life Lives

   • Examines the geographical distribution of species and its role in evolution.

5. Mission 5: Tree of Life and Death

   • Addresses the interconnectedness of life and death in the tree of life.

6. Mission 6: You Evolved Too

   • Personalizes the evolutionary process, showing how humans are part of the evolutionary tree.

Quizzes and Puzzles

• Each mission includes associated puzzles and quizzes to reinforce the learning material:
  • Puzzle 1 / Quiz 1
  • Puzzle 2 / Quiz 2
  • Puzzle 3 / Quiz 3

Conclusion

The Evolution Lab provides a comprehensive, interactive overview of evolutionary concepts, engaging users in the study of life's diversity and interconnectedness through a series of missions and interactive activities.