Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts by biology educators, there are still a lot of misconceptions about evolution. People who have taken in pop science nonsense often assume that biologists do not believe in evolution.
This rich Web site - companion to the PBS series It provides teachers with materials that promote evolution education and avoids the kinds of misconceptions that undermine it. It's organized in a nested "bread crumb" format to facilitate navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complicated and difficult subject matter to teach well. It is often misunderstood by non-scientists and even scientists are guilty of using an interpretation that is confusing the issue. This is particularly applicable to debates about the nature of the word.
It is essential to define terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website helps you define these terms in a straightforward and useful way. The website is a companion to the show which first aired in 2001, but also functions as an independent resource. The information is presented in an organized manner that makes it easier to navigate and understand.
The site defines terms like common ancestor, gradual process and so on. These terms help to define the nature of evolution as well as its relation to other concepts in science. The site gives a comprehensive overview of the ways the concept of evolution has been tested. This information can be used to dispel myths that have been propagated by creationists.
It is also possible to find the glossary of terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency of hereditary traits to become more suitable to a particular setting. This is the result of natural selection. Organisms with better-adapted traits are more likely than those with less-adapted traits to reproduce and survive.
Common ancestor: The most recent common ancestor of two or more different species. The common ancestor can be identified by studying the DNA of these species.
에볼루션 바카라 체험 : A large biological molecule that contains the information needed for cell replication. The information is stored in a sequence of nucleotides that are strung together into long chains, called chromosomes. Mutations are the cause of new genetic information in cells.
Coevolution is 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 interactions between predator and prey, or the parasite and the host.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals that are able to interbreed) evolve through a series of natural changes in the traits of their offspring. Changes can be caused by numerous factors, like natural selection, gene drift, and mixing of the gene pool. The evolution of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, such as changes in the climate or competition for food resources and habitat can slow or speed up the process.
The Evolution site traces the emergence of various species of plants and animals over time with a focus on the key changes that took place in the history of each group. It also explores human evolution, which is a topic that is particularly important to students.
When Darwin wrote the Origin in 1859, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been discovered. The most famous among them was the skullcap and bones that were discovered in 1856 at the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany which is now believed to be an early Homo neanderthalensis. While the skullcap wasn't published until 1858, one year before the first edition of the Origin was published, it's highly unlikely that Darwin had heard or seen of it.
The site is primarily a biology site, but it also contains lots of information about geology and paleontology. The most impressive features of the Web site are a set of timelines which show how geological and climatic conditions changed over time, as well as an outline of the distribution of a few fossil groups listed on the site.
While the site is a companion to the PBS television series but it also stands on its own as a great resource for teachers and students. The site is extremely well organized and provides 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 engaging cartoon style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. 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 resulted in an array of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures within their natural environment, has many advantages over the current observational or experimental methods of studying evolutionary phenomena. Paleobiology can examine not just the processes and events that happen regularly or over time but also the relative abundance and distribution of various animal groups in space throughout the geological time.
The site is divided into different paths that can be chosen to learn about evolution. One of the paths, "Evolution 101," guides the user through the nature and evidence of evolution. The path also reveals common misconceptions about evolution as well as the evolution theory's history.
Each of the main sections on the Evolution website is equally well-designed, with materials that support a variety curriculum levels and teaching styles. In addition to the standard textual content, the site features a wide range of multimedia and interactive content including videos, animations, and virtual labs. The breadcrumb-like arrangement of the content aids in navigation and orientation on the large web site.
For instance, the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides a comprehensive overview of the relationships between corals and their interaction with other organisms, then concentrates on a specific clam that can communicate with its neighbours and respond to changes in the water conditions that occur at the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary interactive and multimedia pages offers a great introduction to the many areas of evolutionary biology. The information also includes an explanation of the role 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 the concept of evolution is a major thread that weaves together all branches of the field. A wide selection of resources helps teachers teach evolution across all disciplines of life science.
One resource, the companion to PBS's television series Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of a Web page that provides depth and broadness in terms of educational resources. The site has a variety of interactive learning modules. It also has a nested "bread crumb" structure that helps students move from the cartoon-like style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this massive website that are more closely tied to the field of research science. An animation that introduces students to the concept of genetics, which links to a page highlighting John Endler's experiments in artificial selection using guppies on native ponds in Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website contains a large multimedia library of materials that deal with evolution. The content is organized in curriculum-based pathways that correspond to the learning objectives set out in biology standards. It contains seven videos that are designed for classroom use. These can be viewed online or purchased as DVDs.
Evolutionary biology is still a field of study that has many important questions, such as what triggers evolution and how quickly it happens. This is particularly true for humans' evolution which was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that humanity has a special place in creation and a soul with the notion that human beings have innate physical traits were derived from apes.
There are also a number of other ways in which evolution could occur, with natural selection as the most popular theory. Scientists also study other kinds such as genetic drift, and sexual selection.
Although many scientific fields of study conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts, evolution biology has been a subject of intense debate and opposition from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the ideas of evolution, others haven't.