About this Web Site PURPOSE This site contains resources for students, educators and people of all ages to learn about and celebrate the Epic of Evolution. One of the goals of this site is to help people understand how we got here so that we might be inspired to guide our future evolution in a sustainable, joyful and life-promoting way. AUTHOR Cathy McGowan Russell is the weaver of this web site and a teacher of the Epic of Evolution. She earned her Ph.D. with a dissertation on the role of gene tranfer in evolution. She is passionate about promoting the Epic of Evolution because she believes that understanding this story leads to personal and planetary well being. Paul Hawken, author of Blessed Unrest, states one of her sentiments so succinctly: "We cannot save our planet unless humankind undergoes a widespread spiritual and religious awakening." At the heart of this awakening is the realization of a meaningful evolutionary worldview and that each of us is co-creator with the evolutionary impulse. (more about Cathy ) INTEGRATED EDUCATION This site contains educational resources for teaching the science, history and philosophy of the Epic of Evolution in an integrated way involving multiple disciplines.  In addition to great educational materials on biological evolution, this site also contains information on the evolution of the universe, our solar system and the Earth.  Because most people's confusion about evolution stems from lack of information on biology, this site features high quality materials about evolutionary biology, particularly molecular biology and the role of DNA in evolution. This site contains tested, hands-on activities that effectively teach important concepts about the science of evolution. These have been used both in the classroom and in informal educational settings. Some of these activities are available only on this site. Many others are the excellent activities carefully selected from other sources. This site also has annotated guides to books, videos and web sites about the Epic of Evolution.

Purpose Author Integrated Education A Celebration Audience Future of this Site Cathy pointing to iridium layer deposited 65 million years ago. This iridium was from an asteroid that smashed into planet Earth, killing off the dinosaurs. So why is Cathy smiling? Because she knows that with our current know-how, what killed the dinosaurs will not kill us.* She is hopeful that similar human resourcefulness can also help solve global weirding, prevent species extinction and usher in a sustainable and joy-filled world. * The goal of the B612 Foundation is to predict and prevent catastrophic asteroid impacts on Earth.

A CELEBRATION

Beyond teaching the facts of evolution, a goal of this web site is to help people find their place in the evolving cosmos.  By understanding evolution, people can create and enjoy more understanding, prosperity and compassion in their lives.

Both religious and secular people have been influenced by some of the destructive philosophies promoted in the name of evolution, such as eugenics, survival of the most ruthless, belief that life is merely random and meaningless, and notions that descent from slime gives license to behave like slime.  While none of these ideas is necessarily true, these notions have led many to various forms of existential angst, which in turn leaves people vulnerable to depression and anxiety. In contrast to these ideas, this web site celebrates evolution because it gives us the clearest picture of reality, so that we may live more in harmony with this reality. To find out more, check out the essay “Celebrating the Epic of Evolution.”

AUDIENCE

This web site is for everyone who is curious about where they came from and where they may be going. The Epic of Evolution is a creation story for people of all philosophies and religions. It is everybody's story. This Epic is for those who claim faith in a higher power as well as for those who do not and for those who are not sure. This web site is for everyone who wants to learn about the grand story of evolution from the Big Bang to the evolution of life to the evolution of our culture to the evolution of consciousness.

The Epic of Evolution web site is for teachers who want excellent, hands-on resources for teaching the science of evolution.  It is also for religious educators who want to learn about and teach evolution in ways that do not deny the existence of God, but instead celebrates evolution as God’s means of creation.  A special audience is the majority of people who want to learn about evolution, but don't agree that accepting evolution means rejecting faith in a higher power. This is a potentially large audience, given that a large majority of Americans claim to be religious, according to various polls, including the American Religious Identity Survey (ARIS).

FUTURE OF THIS SITE

In the future, this site will be a community site for everyone interested in adding to the conversation about the Epic of Evolution. This site will become a comprehensive site about the Epic of Evolution. As it matures, this site will feature fun and engaging web-based games that teach the basic concepts of evolution.