Assignment 1

Select  an article from a magazine or newspaper that has something in it that  pertains to biology. This will serve as the “target article” for this  assignment. For instance, you can select an article about medicine,  invasive species, nature, conservation, genetic technology, ecology, or  any other topic that is related to biology. One purpose of this  assignment is to help you become aware of how biology is related to your  everyday life.

Write a one to four (1-4) page paper in which you:

1. Summarize the article in one (1) or more paragraphs, using your own words. Be  sure to identify the article using an in-text citation in the body of  the paper, as well as a reference in the reference section.
2. Explain  how the article relates to this course. Identify which biological  concepts from the course and / or text are relevant to the topic covered  in the article. Citing the course text, discuss the ways in which this  course does (or doesn’t) provide background information to help you  understand the article and the larger issues surrounding it.
3. Explain  why the article caught your attention. Relate the article to your life  and to issues that are important to you. Discuss how or if the  scientific knowledge about the topic covered in the article affects you  directly or indirectly.
4. Discuss  your opinion on how research on this topic should be funded. State  whether you think taxpayer monies should support research on this topic  or whether such research in this area should be funded by the private  sector. Rate the importance of research on this topic, relative to other  areas of research.