Science / Year 10 / Science Understanding / Biological sciences

View on Australian Curriculum website Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority
Curriculum content descriptions

The theory of evolution by natural selection explains the diversity of living things and is supported by a range of scientific evidence (ACSSU185)

Elaborations
  • outlining processes involved in natural selection including variation, isolation and selection
  • describing biodiversity as a function of evolution
  • investigating changes caused by natural selection in a particular population as a result of a specified selection pressure such as artificial selection in breeding for desired characteristics
  • relating genetic characteristics to survival and reproductive rates
  • evaluating and interpreting evidence for evolution, including the fossil record, chemical and anatomical similarities, and geographical distribution of species
ScOT terms

Evolution,  Biodiversity

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20 direct matches to ACSSU185

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Dinosaur fossils capture the imagination of all kinds of people, leading some to a lifetime of research and theorising. Find out about the devotion of two families whose examination of Australia's fossil record has contributed to understanding the geology and evolution of life here.

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Decoding the platypus genome

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Find out what scientists have discovered from decoding the platypus genome. Learn how these discoveries provide some surprising insights into this unusual animal's underwater feeding, number of sex chromosomes, protection of its young and evolution of the male platypus's venomous spur.

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Cambrian fossils on Kangaroo Island

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All fossils provide interesting clues to what life on Earth was once like, but there is something quite unique about the fossils found at Emu Bay on Kangaroo Island, South Australia. Watch this clip to find out why.

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Ancient fish out of water

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See fossil evidence of the largest Devonian lobe-finned fish ever found. Known as the Age of the Fishes, the Devonian period marks an important time in the evolution of land animals. Find out why this fossil is an important find.

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Have you ever eaten hot chilli and wondered why your mouth feels like it's on fire? Watch this clip to find out all about the science of chillies, including what makes them hot, why they are hot and why they cause so much pain when we eat them.

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Fossils and the evolution of life

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Have you ever wondered how scientists know when the early mammals appeared on Earth, or how long ago dinosaurs died out? Watch this clip to discover the role of fossils, and the rocks they are found in, in revealing the order and history of life on Earth. This clip takes you to fossil sites in Queensland; and to Shark Bay ...

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Saving the Mountain Pygmy-possum

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Discover the tiny Mountain Pygmy-possum and find out what scientists are doing to try to save it from extinction. Learn about the possum and why it is endangered, and watch some research being conducted out in the field and in a laboratory. The clip includes footage of this rare and endangered native Australian animal in the wild.

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Ancient DNA

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What questions might be answered by the DNA of ancient fossilised remains? What mysteries of the past could be unlocked? Watch this clip and learn more about some fascinating genetic research taking place right here in Australia.

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Interactive

Natural selection

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This is an interactive resource in which students explore natural selection by controlling an environment and causing mutations in rabbits. Students can select vary environments, selection pressures, mutations and associated genetics, and then observe the populations change. This interactive resource is supported by tips ...

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Past changes, future lessons

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Earth has experienced periods of dramatic climate change in the past, with the Eocene epoch a period of significant climate fluctuations. Watch this clip to find out how plants and animals were affected by changes to climate in the past, and how knowing about this may help us in the future.

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Genes

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See how genes and genetic engineering work. Build models of DNA, and work out how it is copied as cells divide. Discover how the codes carried in the genes are copied and used to build proteins. See how gene splicing can be used to benefit human lives. For example, model the transfer of a human gene into bacteria, so they ...

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Caving for fossils

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Imagine the enthusiasm of Australian paleontologists when they heard about the discovery of three caves in the middle of the Nullarbor Plain. Watch this clip to find out just what was discovered in the caves and why it is so significant.

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Interactive

Stickleback Evolution Virtual Lab - iTunes app

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Enter this virtual laboratory and conduct experiments to investigate genetic variation and evolution of populations of the three-spined stickleback fish. Students analyse fish and fossillised specimens, construct tables and graphs, and interpret their analysis. There are also instructive tutorials, videos describing stickleback ...

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The first modern humans in south-east Asia

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This is a multilayered resource about the theories and evidence of the origins of the first modern humans in south-east Asia. It has four sections: Theories; The sout-heast Asian fossil record; The appearance of sout-heast Asian features; and The first modern Indonesians. The Related sections, Related items and Related ...

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Species on the move

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This ABC In Depth feature article presents arguments about moving vulnerable species to cooler climates in advance of climate change is a controversial strategy, and whether it could be the best way of ensuring their survival.

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Science Talk 2007: Tim Entwistle

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An interview and tour of the Royal Botanic Gardens of Sydney and its herbarium with Dr Tim Entwistle, a plant scientist and the NSW Government Botanist. Tim talks to a pre-service teacher from Macquarie University about his love of plants, in particular freshwater algae. In the herbarium we find out why it is so important ...

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Ancient DNA

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This 9 minute video segment from Catalyst explains the role of Australian Centre for Ancient DNA.It is an internationally recognised research centre for the study of minute traces of preserved genetic material - species studied date from a million years ago to more modern day mysteries... from mammoths to the Tassie devil, ...

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This program is an excellent example of the latest research into one of the world's most deadly disease. Humans are infected by five out of the two hundred species of malaria parasite. But birds, bats, lizards and antelopes are also hosts for malaria parasites. Each species of malaria has a different life cycle and life ...

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Laptop wrap: Fossilisation

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A webpage with a focus on the process of fossilisation that helps explain why it occurs so rarely.

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Conserving seeds of agricultural crops

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This radio interview discusses how Global Crop Diversity Trust is trying to conserve the biodiversity of the world's agricultural crops. A network of seed banks is being developed, together with a backup in a mountain in Norway. Just 10 or 12 crops dominate human nutrition. And there's turnover in varieties as crops are ...

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