"Evolution. 2007. CD-ROM and workbook.
Developed by Biozone International Limited, 109 Cambridge Road, Hamilton, 3216, New Zealand. Visit www.biozone.co.nz for more information and contact sales@biozone.co.nz for ordering.
$99.95. In addition, it can be purchased as a bundle along with the Evolution *(1) and Genes & Inheritance CD's for a significant discount price of $199.95*(2).

This is another recent module developed by Biozone, which nicely complements the Human Evolution, and Genes & Inheritance modules reviewed in previous issues of ABT. Topics included are:

• The Origin and Evolution of Life
• Mechanisms of Evolution
• Patterns of Evolution

In addition to a Power Point® slide show which can be modified to a particular instructor's needs, the module offers a wide range of activities aimed at providing a different approach to the teaching of evolution at the secondary school level. The activities are well-thought and certainly provocative in the sense that students are probed to examine evolution from a perspective not typically covered by major textbook companies.

The Origin and Evolution of Life section includes seventeen sub-sections beginning with life in the universe and expands its thesis to the origin of life on earth, including the origin of eukaryotic cells (including endosymbiosis), DNA hybridization evidence, comparative anatomy, and ends with continental drift and evolution, to name a few.

Mechanisms of Evolution includes 28 sub-sections including genes and evolution, Darwin's theory, population genetics, genetic drift, speciation, and stages in species development. Two notable subsections are "Selection for Human Birth Weight" and "Analysis of a Squirrel Gene Pool". What makes these two sub-sections noteworthy is the fresh approach they bring to the understanding of evolutionary mechanisms; most biology textbooks tend to present such mechanisms in a dry format thus making the topic less convincing to our students.

The last section, Patterns of Evolution, covers convergent evolution, co-evolution, adaptive radiation, causes of mass extinctions, and other topics pertinent to New Zealand species. Once again, the topics are presented in an engaging format and the activities provide a wide range of opportunities for enquiry. Answers to all questions for the three sections are provided to the teachers on a separate CD*(3).

This module is appropriate for advanced secondary school biology courses such as AP®, IB®, or a stand-alone course in evolution. Also, it can be used at the undergraduate level for non-majors. All the activities provide a wide range of skills and students should have a great command of the subject by the end of the module. Hopefully, students will complete all activities realizing that the teaching and learning of evolution is a cornerstone in biology and ongoing controversies surrounding the teaching of evolution are best kept outside the biology classroom. Regardless of the implications, Biozone has provided a phenomenal tool for teaching evolution that surpasses most (if not all) attempts by other companies to bring evolution to our classrooms in the twenty-first century."

José Vázquez
General Studies Program,
New York University,
New York, NY 10003

Incorrectly stated in review
*(1) Evolution - should be Human Evolution
*(2) $199.95 should be $299.95
*(3) Answer CD applies to Modular workbook

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Health and Disease Presentation MEDIA
2006. Created by Biozone International Ltd. Contact sales@biozone.co.nz for pricing and ordering information.

System Requirements:
• CD-ROM Drive or Downloads
• Windows
• Mac OS compatible

This CD contains four different PowerPoint presentations that can be viewed as PowerPoint, QuickTime movies or as separate slides in PDF format. In The Nature of Disease concepts such as causes of disease, epidemics, diagnostic techniques, medical imaging, and control of disease are covered and illustrated.

In Infectious Disease transmission of bacterial, viral, fungal, and protozoan pathogens are included along with special focus on "emerging diseases" like HIV and AIDS. For a number of the specific diseases like Malaria: and guinea worm transmission, symptoms, and treatments are discussed.

In Non-infectious Disease disease such as cardiovascular problems, cancer, the effects of smoking, and eating disorders are explored. The final program: Defense and the Immune System includes 56 slides that deal with tissue rejection,human blood typing, and the body's many levels of defense against infection as well as the mechanics of allergies.

The information is thorough, accurate and well presented. It meshes well with the modular workbook of the same title but can easily be used alone. According to the information provided on thebiozone.com Web site, the presentations can not only be used as described above but also include a site license so they could be used on the school's computer network. The level of the material presented is appropriate for high school or introductory college biology.

Mary Jane Davis
Science Department Chair
Catholic HS Redbank
Red Bank, NJ

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Cell Biology and Biochemistry
2006. Created by Biozone International Ltd. Contact sales@biozone.co.nz for pricing and ordering information.

System Requirements:
• CD-ROM Drive or Downloads
• Windows
• Mad OS compatible

The items reviewed consisted of two products. One, the less expensive one, was a workbook addressing these areas of introductory biology: Molecules of Life, Cell Structure, Cell Membranes and Transport, Cellular Energetics, and Processes in the Nucleus. The second product, considerably more expensive, was a CD library of presentation graphics in multiple formats (PowerPoint, HTML, PDF, Quicktime, and Apple's Keynote) keyed to the sections in the workbook. Both of these are subdivisions of a larger body of work, which covers the entirety of an introductory biology course at either the freshmen level or advanced high school level. All of these units are available as modules.

The workbook/study guide has much to be said for it. For each of the five chapters, it has clearly stated objectives, extensive additional resources listing of supplemental texts, lists of periodical resources from print media, URL's for Web-based media and concept map "outlines". The book sections could easily serve as assessments or study guide activities. The online links, available through the Web address above, are extensive and worthwhile. The workbook is compact, with perforated pages for turning in student work if desired. The graphics are extensive and impressive, similar to many that one might find in any one of numerous texts or ancillary materials.

Much of the graphics are replicated in full color on the media presentation CD, although they are in high quality black and white/gray tone in the print. Rather than being a minus for the product, the lack of color graphics clearly helps keep the cost down low enough that it would not be a burden to have students purchase the module as a supplemental workbook/study guide for use with any major freshmen level or high school level text. Excellent illustrations in the print, electronic media (CD and Web site), copious links to much useful information are pluses. The PowerPoint files are editable, allowing one to personalize them if desired. The disk ran well on Windows and Mac platforms.

I think that either alone, but certainly together, these two are valuable resources. They will allow for concentrated review/study guide activities with the print media, and give an excellent set of graphics which are editable for classroom presentations. The universal nature of the materials makes them useful with multiple texts, not just the Biozone products.

Chris K. Jervis
Teacher
Auburn High School
Riner, VA 24149

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Genes & Inheritance. (2005). CD-ROM. Distributed by Biozone International Ltd., PO Box 13-034, Hamilton, New Zealand. The cost is $199.95, which includes a comprehensive site license. (Note that this CD-ROM is also available in a Genetics & Evolution Bundle.) For further information visit http://www.thebiozone.com/media.php.

System Requirements:

Any Windows or Macintosh computer with a CD-ROM drive capable of using one or more of the following file formats: PowerPoint? (editable), Keynote? (editable), QuickTime? slideshow, or Adobe Acrobat?PDF.

Genes & Inheritance is appropriate for advanced high school or introductory undergraduate biology lecture presentations. The PowerPoint? and Keynote? media files can be edited and customized for easy preparation of multimedia presentations. The presentations can be viewed with a digital projector, with an interactive whiteboard, as overhead transparencies (files can be printed), or on a computer network. Although the media complements the content of the Genes & Inheritance, a modular workbook, and Senior Biology 1 and Senior Biology 2, student resource and activity manuals from Biozone, they can easily be used as a stand-alone product to complement lectures concerning genetics and inheritance concepts. There are 388 different screens that present critical concepts. The content of the Genes & Inheritance CD-Rom is divided into the following five sections:

    • The Genetic Code
    • Mutation
    • The Nature of the Gene
    • Inheritance
    • Gene Interactions

Each section contains editable PowerPoint? and Keynote? files, a PDF file in Adobe Acrobat?, a QuickTime? slideshow, and a folder that contains the files of the individual components that were used to create the presentations. I will focus my review on the PowerPoint? presentation format.

The concepts are presented with labeled diagrams and descriptive text on thoughtfully formatted slides. Bullets are used to organize text and bold text is used to identify important vocabulary. The diagrams and the associated labels are introduced to the slide with simple animations. The animations allow the concepts to be constructed from the simple components to the more complex ones and to reveal the sequence of a process, for example, the steps of translation for protein synthesis. There is also a good balance of excellent diagrams, photographs, and micrographs, which are essential to the presentation of the concepts.

The inheritance section has the most slides. Asexual and sexual reproduction, Mendelian inheritance, human hereditary, genetic crosses, multiple alleles, human blood groups, pedigree analysis, genetic counseling, inherited disorders, and sex determination in animals are just a few of the important topics that are presented in this section that would help students gain an understanding of critical concepts.

Genes & Inheritance is high quality lecture material that is simple to use. The excellent graphics help to capture the attention of the students. Animation for the individual components helps students to understand concepts, keeps their attention throughout the presentation, and prevents their frustration from viewing too much content in one view. I recommend this CD-ROM as a resource for creating multimedia lecture presentations of genetics concepts.

Jewel Reuter

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Ecology Lesson Materials
Ecology: 2005. CD-ROM. Distributed by BIOZONE International Ltd.
PO Box 13-034, Hamilton, New Zealand. $299.95. For further information visit http://www.thebiozone.com/media.php.

System Requirements
Any Windows or Macintosh computer with a CD-ROM drive capable of using one or more of the following formats: PowerPoint®, Keynote®, QuickTime® slideshow, or Adobe Acrobat® PDF.

Ecology is ideal for advanced high school or undergraduate classroom lectures. This media can be used on a digital projector, an interactive whiteboard, as overhead transparencies (you can print the files) or on a computer network.

Although the CD-ROM was intended to complement the Student Resource and Activity Manuals, Senior Biology 1 and Senior Biology 2 from BIOZONE, they can be used as a stand-alone product as well. The 550 different screens present a large array of topics to complement lectures in an ecological class.
The Ecology CD-ROM includes sections on:
* Introduction to Ecosystems
* The Ecological Niche
* Populations & Interactions
* Practical Ecology
* Communities
* Biodiversity & Conservation
* Human Impact

Each section includes a colorful, informative PowerPoint® presentation complete with notes. Illustrative photographs, diagrams, graphs, and written facts are included with each topic within an ecological section. For the instructor, the sidebar of slide notes is very informative. Each section also includes a PDF file in Adobe Acrobat®, Keynote®, and a spectacular QuickTime® slideshow.

By far, the section with the largest amount of material is the one addressing Human Impact. Eutrophication, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Global Warming, Integrated Pest Management, and Bioaccumulation are just a few of the topics this broad section covers. Classes that emphasize these aspects of Ecology would be well served by using the material included in this section.

Ecology is a teacher-friendly source of classroom lecture material. Students are likely to be engaged with the colorful, informative material contained within this CD-ROM. I recommend this CD-ROM for the advanced high school and early undergraduate ecological classes, especially those emphasizing the human impact of ecology.

Kay Marie Pedretti
Biology Department
Winona State University
Winona, MN 55987

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