April 1, 2015 (Vol. 35, No. 7)
Rating:
Strong Points: Good tutorials and glossary, nicely designed
Weak Points: None
Platform:
iPad
Cost:
Free
Summary:
A fantastic educational resource from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the free Stickleback Evolution Virtual Lab app guides students and teachers through three experiments focused on the evolutionary changes related to pelvic structures of freshwater stickleback fish. In the experiments, which are aimed at high school and college level, students score images of stickleback fish and fossils for specific pelvic structure, and also measure the differences between the left and right sides of the pelvis in a later experiment. The “lab notebook” contains tutorials, videos related to the experiments, and quizzes. A lab glossary—with both general laboratory terms and terms related to stickleback biology—is also included in the app. Overall, this is a very nicely designed app that is both educational and engaging.
