This activity is a detailed dive into evolutionary arms races, climate-species interactions, and evolutionary physiology.
Activity time: 1.5 hr (can be split among two periods)
Game: Evolution: Climate
Associated materials: paper- ‘What really is Evolution?’, paper- ‘Simulating evolution: how close do computer models come to reality?’, paper- “Human Evolution Out of Africa: The Role of Refugia and Climate Change”, Homework/Discussion Materials
Activity:
- Assign and discuss primary literature that matches the learning objectives (see above for suggestions).
- Play Evolution: Climate by the publisher’s rules.
- Consider playing it again. This will increase comprehension and demonstrates how climatic events dramatically change climate-mediated adaptations and the resulting evolutionary arms races.
- After finishing, use homework questions as an outline to lead a class discussion. We also recommend assigning them as homework. Using them as a framework for discussion allows a freer, more organic exploration of the learning objectives and their ties to the gameplay. The homework promotes deeper self-reflection on all the questions. Really- that is it.
