Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misconceptions persist regarding evolution. 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 offers teachers resources which support evolution education, while avoiding the kinds of misconceptions that can hinder it. It's organized in a "bread crumb" format to facilitate navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complex and challenging subject to teach effectively. People who are not scientists often have a difficult time understanding the subject and some scientists use a definition which confuses it. This is especially true when it comes to debates about the nature of the word.
Therefore, it is essential to define terms used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a clear and useful manner. The website is a companion to the series that first aired in 2001, but it also functions as an independent resource. The material is presented in a way which aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms like common ancestor and gradual process. These terms help frame the nature of evolution and its relationship to evolution with other scientific concepts. The website provides a summary of the way in which evolution has been examined. This information can help dispel myths created by creationists.
You can also access a glossary that includes terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
The process of adaptation is the tendency of heritable traits to become more suitable to their environment. This is the result of natural selection. Organisms with more adaptable characteristics are more likely than those with less adaptable traits to reproduce and survive.
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 through analyzing the DNA of those species.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A massive biological molecule that contains information required for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences, which are strung into long chains known as chromosomes. Mutations are the cause of new genetic information in cells.
Coevolution is a relation between two species, where the evolutionary changes of one species are influenced by evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution can be seen in the interaction of predator and prey, or parasites and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups that can interbreed) change by a series of natural variations in their offspring's traits. The causes of these changes are numerous factors, like natural selection, gene drift and mixing of the gene pool. The evolution of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental circumstances, such as climate changes or competition for food resources and habitat can impede or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site tracks through time the evolution of various species of plants and animals and focuses on major changes within each group's past. It also examines the evolution of humans as a subject that is of particular interest to students.
Darwin's Origin was published in 1859, when just a few antediluvian fossils of humans were discovered. The skullcap that is famous, along with the bones that accompanied it were discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now known as an early Homo neanderthalensis. Although the skullcap was not published until 1858, which was one year before the first edition of the Origin appeared, it is very unlikely that Darwin had heard or seen of it.
While the site is focused on biology, it also includes a good deal of information on geology and paleontology. Among the best features of the website are a set of timelines which show the way in which climatic and geological conditions have changed over time, as well as an interactive map of the geographical distribution of some fossil groups that are featured on the site.
The site is a companion to the PBS television series, but it can also be used as an educational source for teachers and students. The site is very well-organized and offers clear links between the introduction content in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more specific 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. There are links to John Endler’s experiments with guppies, which demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life has led to a variety of plants, animals and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures within their geographical context and offers a number of advantages over the modern observational and research methods of examining evolutionary phenomena. Paleobiology can examine not only processes and events that take place frequently or over time, but also the relative abundance and distribution of different species of animals across geological time.
The website is divided into several optional ways to learn about evolution which include "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a line through the nature of science and the evidence that supports the theory of evolution. The course also focuses on misconceptions about evolution, and also the history of evolutionary thought.
Each of the other major sections of the Evolution site is similarly constructed, with materials that support a variety of different pedagogical levels and curriculum levels. In addition to the general textual content, the site features an array of multimedia and interactive content including videos, animations, and virtual laboratories. The breadcrumb-like organization of the content helps with navigation and orientation on the vast website.
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 is enlarged to show one clam that can communicate with its neighbors and react to changes in conditions of the water at the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary interactive and multimedia pages, gives a good introduction to the many areas of evolutionary biology. The material includes a discussion on the significance of natural selectivity and the concept of phylogenetics analysis which is a crucial tool for understanding evolutionary changes.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is a common thread that is found throughout all branches of biology. A wide range of resources can help teachers teach about evolution across all life sciences.
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 an "bread crumb structure" that helps students move away from the cartoon style used in Understanding Evolution and onto elements on this large website more closely connected to the fields of research science. For instance an animation that introduces 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 resource that is worth mentioning is the Evolution Library on this site, which has an extensive library of multimedia assets connected to evolution. 에볼루션 바카라 무료 is organized according to curricula-based pathways that correspond to the learning objectives outlined in the biology standards. It includes 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, such as what triggers evolution and the speed at which it occurs. This is particularly relevant in the case of human evolution where it was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humanity has a unique position in the universe and a soul with the notion that human beings have innate physical traits originated from apes.
There are a variety of other ways in which evolution could occur and natural selection being the most widely accepted theory. Scientists also study other kinds such as mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection.
While many fields of scientific study are in conflict with literal interpretations in religious texts, the concept of evolution biology has been a source of intense debate and opposition from religious fundamentalists. Some religions have reconciled their beliefs with evolution, while others haven't.