The Big Evolution of the Little Phage

Viruses contain some of the most interesting origins, biology, and relationships in the noncellular world. They are also visually alien looking to students and obviously different from cellular life. They are, in their parasitic mode, the consummate intimate associate, the genetic and evolutionary collaborator at the level closest to the cell’s inner life. Viruses are, by their very structure and nature, dependent and interdependent. The concept of interdependency is an often-overlooked critical thinking skill, spoken of but rarely consolidated in biology curriculum yet at the root of understanding every tier of biological systems. Interdependency links all life together at all scales. To address the importance of interdependency in biological systems we propose a genomic medicine authentic STEAM-based experience that explores interdependency through the phage viruses. Phages are the most abundant and diverse biological entities on the planet (Batinovic et al., 2019). In this paper we outline the phage’s universality and interesting attributes to provide background for a critical thinking prospectus that utilizes fine art skills and biological knowledge for students to experience and discover phage morphology, evolution, and therapy. We explore both the portrait of a phage (its structure and proximal relationships) and the landscape of its interdependence (global relationships) through the GM lens.