Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, there are still a lot of misconceptions about the evolution. Pop science fiction has led a lot of people to believe that biologists don't believe evolution.
This rich Web site, a companion to the PBS program offers teachers resources which support evolution education, while avoiding the kinds of misconceptions which make it difficult to understand. It's arranged in a nested "bread crumb" format to facilitate navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complex and difficult subject matter to teach well. Many non-scientists are unable to grasp the concept and some scientists use a definition that confuses it. This is especially true when discussing the meaning of the words themselves.
It is therefore important to define the terms used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website does this in a simple and efficient way. The site is a companion to the show that premiered in 2001, but it is also an independent resource. The content is organized in a way that makes it easy to navigate and understand.
The site defines terms like common ancestor (or common ancestor), gradual process, and adaptation. These terms help frame the nature of evolution and its relationship to other concepts in science. The site then offers an overview of how the concept of evolution has been vetted and confirmed. This information can be used to dispel the myths that have been propagated by creationists.
It is also possible to find the glossary of terms used in evolutionary biology. 에볼루션카지노사이트 include:
Adaptation is the process of changing heritable traits to be better suited to an environment. This is a result of natural selection. Organisms that have better-adapted characteristics are more likely than those with less-adapted traits to survive and reproduce.
Common ancestor (also known as common ancestor) is the most recent ancestral ancestor shared by two or more species. By studying the DNA of these species it is possible to determine the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A large biological molecule that contains information required for cell replication. The information is stored in a sequence of nucleotides that are strung together into long chains, also known as chromosomes. Mutations are the source of new genetic information in cells.
Coevolution is the relationship between two species in which the evolution of one species are influenced evolutionary changes in the other. Examples of coevolution include the interactions between predator and prey, or host and parasite.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals who can interbreed) develop through a series of natural changes in the characteristics of their offspring. Changes can be caused by numerous factors, like natural selection, gene drift, and mixing of the gene pool. The development of a new species can take thousands of years, and the process may be slowed down or accelerated by environmental conditions such as climate change or competition for food or habitat.
The Evolution site tracks through time the emergence of various animal and plant groups, focusing on major transitions within each group's past. It also focuses on the evolutionary origin of humans and humans, a subject that is especially important for students to know.
When Darwin wrote the Origin in 1859, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been discovered. Among them was the famous skullcap and the associated bones discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany that is now thought to be an early Homo neanderthalensis. Although the skullcap was not published until 1858, just one year before the first edition of the Origin was published, it's very unlikely that Darwin had seen or heard of it.
The site is mostly a biology site however, it also has a lot of information on geology and paleontology. Among the best features of the Web site are a series of timelines that show how climatic and geological conditions changed over time, as well as a map of the distribution of a few of the fossil groups featured on the site.
Although the site is a companion piece to a PBS television series however, it can stand on its own as a valuable source for teachers and students. The site is extremely well-organized and has clear links between the introductory content in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more sophisticated components of the museum's Web site. These hyperlinks make it easier to move from the cartoon-style Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated realms of research science. In particular there are hyperlinks to John Endler's experiments using Guppies that demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life on Earth has led to a wide variety of plants, animals, and insects. Paleobiology, the study of these creatures in their geological environment offers many advantages over modern observational or experimental methods of studying evolutionary phenomena. Paleobiology can examine not only processes and events that take place regularly or over time, but also the relative abundance and distribution of different species of animals in space throughout the geological time.
The site is divided into several optional ways to learn about evolution, including "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a line through the scientific process and the evidence to support the theory of evolution. The course also focuses on common misconceptions about evolution as well as the evolution theory's history.
Each of the main sections of the Evolution website is equally well-developed, with materials that can be used to support a variety of educational levels and teaching styles. In addition to general textual content, the site also has an array of multimedia and interactive resources, such as videos, animations and virtual labs. The breadcrumb-like organization of the content aids in navigation and orientation on the massive website.
The page "Coral Reef Connections", for example, provides an overview of coral relationships and their interactions with other organisms and then zooms in to one clam, which is able communicate with its neighbours and respond to changes in the water conditions that occur on the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary multimedia and interactive pages, provides an excellent introduction to many topics in evolutionary biology. The material also provides an overview of the importance of natural selection as well as the concept of phylogenetic analysis which is an important method to understand evolutionary changes.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students, evolution is a key thread that binds all the branches of the field. A vast collection of resources can help teachers teach about evolution across the life sciences.
One resource, which is the companion to PBS's television show Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of an Web page that provides depth and wide range of educational resources. The site has a wide array of interactive learning modules. It also features an "bread crumb structure" that allows students to move away from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution and onto elements of this vast website that are closely related to the fields of research science. For instance an animation that explains the concept of genetic inheritance links to a page highlighting John Endler's experiments with artificial selection with guppies from the native ponds of Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website is a vast multimedia library of materials that deal with evolution. The content is organized into curricula-based paths that correspond to the learning objectives set out in biology standards. It contains seven short videos specifically intended for use in the classroom. They are available to stream or purchase as DVDs.
Evolutionary biology remains a field of study with a lot of important questions, including what causes evolution and how quickly it happens. This is particularly relevant for the evolution of humans which was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humanity has a unique place in creation and a soul with the idea that innate physical traits were derived from apes.
Additionally there are a myriad of ways in which evolution could be triggered with natural selection being the most popular theory. However, scientists also study other types of evolution such as mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection, among others.
While many scientific fields of study are in conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts, the concept of evolution biology has been the subject of intense debate and opposition from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the theories of evolution, others haven't.