Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology teachers, misinformation about evolution persist. Pop science nonsense has led people to think that biologists don't believe in evolution.
This rich Web site, a companion to the PBS program, provides teachers with materials that promote evolution education while avoiding the types of misconceptions that undermine it. It's laid out in the "bread crumb" format to make navigation and orientation easier.
Definitions
Evolution is a complicated and challenging subject to teach well. Non-scientists often misunderstand the subject and some scientists use a definition that confuses it. This is particularly true when discussing the definition of the words.
It is therefore essential to define the terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website helps you define these terms in an easy and helpful manner. The site is a companion site to the show that premiered in 2001, but is also an independent resource. The content is presented in a way that aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms like common ancestor, gradual process, and adaptation. These terms help to define the nature of evolution and its relation to other scientific concepts. The site gives a comprehensive overview of the way that evolution has been examined. This information will help to dispel the myths that are created by the creationists.
You can also access a glossary which includes terms that are used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency of heritable traits to become better suitable to a particular setting. This is a result of natural selection. It occurs when organisms with better adapted characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adapted traits.
Common ancestor (also called common ancestor): The most recent ancestor shared by two or more species. The common ancestor can be identified by studying the DNA of those species.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A huge biological molecular that holds the information required for cell replication. The information is contained in nucleotides arranged in sequences that are strung together to form long chains, referred to as chromosomes. Mutations are responsible for the creation of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution: A relationship between two species in which evolutionary changes in one species are affected by changes in evolutionary processes in the other. Examples of coevolution include the interaction between predator and prey or parasite and host.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals who can interbreed) evolve through natural changes in the traits of their offspring. The changes can be triggered by a variety that include natural selection, genetic drift and gene pool mixing. The evolution of new species could take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, such as climate changes or competition for food and habitat, can slow or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site traces through time the evolution of different groups of animals and plants, focusing on major transitions in each group's past. It also examines the evolution of humans and is a subject that is particularly important to students.
Darwin's Origin was published in 1859, at a time when only a handful of antediluvian fossils of human beings had been discovered. The most famous among them was the skullcap and bones that were discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany, which is now known as an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is unlikely that Darwin was aware of the skullcap, which was published in 1858, one year after the first edition of The Origin.
While the site focuses on biology, it includes a good deal of information about geology as well as paleontology. The site offers a number of features that are particularly impressive, such as an overview of the way that climate and geological conditions have changed over time. It also features maps that show the locations of fossil groups.
While the site is a companion to a PBS television series, it also stands on its own as an excellent source for teachers and students. The site is very well-organized and offers clear links between the introductory material in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more specialized elements of the museum's web site. These hyperlinks facilitate the move from the enthralling cartoon style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. Particularly there are links to John Endler's experiments with guppies that illustrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life has led to a variety of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures within their geological context and has many advantages over modern observational and experimental methods in its exploration of evolutionary processes. Paleobiology can examine not only processes and events that take place regularly or over time, but also the distribution and frequency of different species of animals in space over the course of the geological time.
The Web site is divided into various ways to learn about evolution which include "Evolution 101," which takes the user on a linear path through the scientific process and the evidence that supports the theory of evolution. 에볼루션 무료체험 focuses on misconceptions about evolution as well as the history of evolutionary thinking.
Each of the main sections of the Evolution website is equally well-developed, and includes materials that can be used to support a variety of curriculum levels and teaching styles. The site offers a wide array of interactive and multimedia content, including video clips, animations and virtual labs in addition to general textual content. The content is laid out in a nested bread crumb-like fashion that helps with navigation and orientation within the large web site.
The page "Coral Reef Connections" For instance, the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides a comprehensive overview of coral relationships, their interaction with other organisms and then zooms in on one clam, which is able to communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in the water conditions that occur on the reef level. 에볼루션 바카라 무료 , as well as the other multidisciplinary interactive and multimedia pages gives a good introduction to a variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The material includes an overview of the importance of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetics analysis, an important method for understanding the evolution of change.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students evolution is a crucial thread that connects all the branches of the field. A wide range of resources helps teachers teach about evolution across the life sciences.
One resource, the companion to PBS's television series Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of a Web page that offers both the depth and the breadth in terms of its educational resources. The site has a wide array of interactive learning modules. It also has a nested "bread crumb" structure that helps students transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this large Web site more closely tied to the field of research science. For instance an animation that explains the notion of genetic inheritance leads to a page that highlights John Endler's experiments in artificial selection with guppies in native ponds of Trinidad.
Another useful resource is the Evolution Library on this website, which includes an extensive library of multimedia assets connected to evolution. The content is organized according to curriculum-based paths that parallel the learning objectives outlined in biology standards. It contains seven short videos that are designed for classroom use. They are available to stream or purchase as DVDs.
A number of important questions remain at the heart of evolutionary biology, such as what triggers evolution and the speed at which it occurs. This is particularly relevant in the case of human evolution which was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humanity has a unique place in creation and a soul with the notion that our physical traits were derived from Apes.
In addition there are a variety of ways that evolution can occur, with natural selection being the most widely accepted theory. However scientists also study other kinds of evolution like genetic drift, mutation, and sexual selection, among others.
While many fields of scientific inquiry have a conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts evolutionary biology has been the subject of particularly controversial debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. Certain religions have embraced their beliefs with evolutionary biology, while others haven't.