Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts by biology teachers, there are still misconceptions about the evolution. People who have absorbed pop science nonsense often assume that biologists are saying they do not believe in evolution.
This rich Web site, which is a complement to the PBS program, provides teachers with materials that promote evolution education while avoiding the types of misconceptions that can hinder it. It's organized in a "bread crumb" format to facilitate navigation and orientation.
Definitions
It's not easy to teach evolution well. Non-scientists often misunderstand the subject and some scientists use a definition that confuses it. This is especially relevant to debates about the meaning of the word itself.
It is therefore crucial to define the terms used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website helps you define these terms in an easy and helpful way. The site serves as an accompanying site for the 2001 series, but also a resource of its own. The content is presented in an organized manner that makes it simpler to navigate and understand.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor and the gradual process. These terms help frame the nature of evolution and its relationship to evolution to other concepts in science. The site provides an overview of the manner the concept of evolution has been examined. This information can help dispel the myths created by creationists.
You can also consult a glossary that contains terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency for hereditary traits to become more suited to a particular environment. This is due to natural selection, which happens when organisms that are better adapted traits are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adapted characteristics.
Common ancestor (also known as common ancestor) The most recent ancestor that is shared by two or more species. The common ancestor can be identified by studying the DNA of the species.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A huge biological molecule that contains information necessary for cell replication. 에볼루션 바카라 사이트 is stored in nucleotide sequences that are strung into long chains called chromosomes. Mutations are the source of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution is a relation between two species, where the evolution of one species are influenced evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution can be observed through the interaction between predator and prey, or parasite and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals that are able to interbreed) change through a series of natural changes in the traits of their offspring. The changes can be triggered by a variety such as natural selection, genetic drift, and mixing of genes. The development of a new species could take thousands of years, and the process can be slowed or increased by environmental conditions such as climate change or the competition for food or habitat.
The Evolution site tracks through time the evolution of different species of plants and animals, focusing on major transitions in each group's history. It also explores human evolution, which is a topic of particular importance for students.
When Darwin wrote the Origin, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been discovered. The famous skullcap, along with the associated bones were discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now recognized as an early Homo neanderthalensis. While the skullcap wasn't published until 1858, one year after the first edition of the Origin was published, it's extremely unlikely that Darwin had ever heard of it.
While the site is focused on biology, it offers a lot of information about geology and paleontology. Among the best features of the website are a series of timelines that show the way in which climatic and geological conditions changed over time, as well as a map of the distribution of a few fossil groups that are featured on the site.
The site is a companion for the PBS TV series but it can be used as a resource for teachers and students. The site is extremely well-organized and offers clear links between the introduction information in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more specific components of the museum's Web site. These links facilitate the transition from the cartoon-like style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. In particular there are hyperlinks to John Endler's experiments using guppies that illustrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life has produced a variety of plants, animals and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures within their natural environment and has a number of advantages over the current observational and experimental methods for analyzing evolutionary phenomena. In addition to studying the processes and events that happen regularly or over a lengthy period of time, paleobiology allows to analyze the diversity of species of organisms and their distribution in space over the course of geological time.
The website is divided into various options to gain knowledge about evolution. One of these paths, "Evolution 101," walks the reader through the complexities and evidence of evolution. The path also reveals common misconceptions about evolution and the evolution of thought.
Each of the other major sections of the Evolution site is equally well constructed, with materials that can be used to support a range of curriculum levels and pedagogical styles. The site offers a wide array of interactive and multimedia resources which include animations, video clips and virtual laboratories, in addition to its general textual content. The content is presented in a nested bread crumb fashion that aids navigation and orientation within the large web site.
The page "Coral Reef Connections" For instance, it provides a comprehensive overview of the relationships between corals and interactions with other organisms, and then zooms in on one clam, which can communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in the water conditions that occur on the reef level. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary multimedia and interactive pages, offers a great introduction to a variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The material includes a discussion on the significance of natural selectivity and the concept of phylogenetics analysis as a key tool for understanding evolutionary change.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is a common thread that is found throughout all branches of biology. A wide selection of resources helps teachers teach evolution across all disciplines of life sciences.
One resource, the companion to PBS's TV series Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of a Web page that provides the depth and the breadth in terms of its educational resources. The site offers a variety of interactive learning modules. It also features an "bread crumb structure" that assists students in moving away from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution and onto elements on this site that are more closely linked to the worlds of research science. For instance an animation that introduces the idea of genetic inheritance connects to a page that focuses on John Endler's experiments in artificial selection with guppies in native ponds of Trinidad.
Another helpful resource is the Evolution Library on this web site, which contains an extensive collection of multimedia items related to evolution. The contents are organized into curriculum-based paths that parallel the learning goals established in the standards for biology. It includes seven short videos designed specifically for use in classrooms, and can be streamed at no cost or purchased on DVD.
A number of important questions remain at the core of evolutionary biology, including the factors that trigger evolution and the speed at which it occurs. This is especially true for human evolution, where it's been difficult to reconcile the idea that the physical characteristics of humans evolved from apes, and the religions that believe that humanity is unique among living things and holds a an exclusive place in the creation, with a soul.
There are a myriad of other ways in which evolution can take place including natural selection, which is the most popular theory. Scientists also study other kinds such as genetic drift, and sexual selection.
While many scientific fields of study conflict with literal interpretations found in religious texts, evolution biology has been a subject of intense debate and opposition from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have managed to reconcile their beliefs with the ideas of evolution, others have not.