Unit 5: Human Population Dynamics // Interactive Labs

Demographics Lab (Units 5, 13)

Baby boom. Overpopulation. Birth dearth. These terms all refer to human population growth, and can conjure images of environmental and economic peril. Which are real issues, and should they matter to us?

Demographers like the US Census Bureau make population projections based on mathematical models. In this lab you will explore a fully functional simulation, based on real demographic data. You will examine important demographic trends through a series of guided lessons. After completing these lessons you will understand the factors that control human population growth, recognize the sea-change in human history that is the "demographic transition," and gain a sense of how population demographics has a very human impact in all areas of our habitable planet. launch lab

Disease Lab (Unit 5)

Recently, new diseases, such as SARS, and the potential for a pandemic avian flu have raised international concerns about health. As populations grow (see the Demographics lab), especially in densely packed urban areas, there is increased risk of disease transmission. This lab will allow you to explore various types of diseases: "Kold" is similar to the common cold, "Impfluenza" resembles a typical influenza outbreak, and "Red Death" represents a fast-spreading epidemic with a high mortality rate (such as avian flu if it were to develop through human-to-human transmission). What factors come into play in the spread of these diseases, and what can we do to counter them? launch lab