Parent Guide > Natural Selection Kills 38 Quadrillion Organisms in Bloodiest Day Yet

by The Onion Staff 2015

Welcome to the parent guide for this text! Read below to find out about what your child is reading in class and how you can support him/her at home.

This week in class, we’re reading "Natural Selection Kills 38 Quadrillion Organisms in Bloodiest Day Yet" by The Onion Staff.

In this humorous faux news story from the satirical site The Onion, natural selection is personified as an unfeeling serial killer lacking in empathy.

As we read, we will be discussing the theme of Comedy & Tragedy as it relates to the text. We are trying to answer this big question :

"What can we learn from comedy?"

Ways to support your child:

  • Ask your child about this piece of satire at home:
    • What was "Natural Selection Kills 38 Quadrillion Organisms in Bloodiest Day Yet" about?
    • What did you learn about Comedy & Tragedy?
  • Watch Natural Selection - Crash Course Biology #14 at home with your child.