Show Fruit Fly Behavior
Observing the natural world has inspired scientists for centuries, and has driven the development of foundational biological theories – evolution by natural selection, the classification of instinctive vs learned behavior, even the mathematics of genetic inheritance. The resources below model how observation can be a jumping off point for many styles of research. They model important components of fly research, even if you don’t have access to live flies just yet.
Show us what you got...
When approached carefully and documented correctly, behavioral observation can also be a powerful scientific tool. With this exercise and follow-up discussion students get the chance to watch a lot of animals and see for themselves how behavior prompts scientific creativity by offering a context to wonder about the natural world.
The format also gives students the opportunity to consider how assumptions (or even prior knowledge) might influence the types of observations they make. The exercise presented here is modeled using a short clip of a confrontation between a lion and a pack of hyenas in Kenya’s Maasai Mara, but the format is flexible! Feel free to apply a similar framework to any interesting clips taken from your favorite nature documentary.
What you'll need
Nature Documentary Video Clip
Prepare a video clip—a few minutes long—such as BBC Earth’s Dynasties (or any other clip from a nature documentary)
