Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts by biology educators, there are still a lot of misconceptions regarding evolution. Pop science fiction has led a lot of people to think that biologists don't believe in evolution.
This site, which is a companion to the PBS series - provides teachers with materials that promote evolution education and avoids the kinds of misconceptions that undermine it. It's laid out in the "bread crumb" format to aid in navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complex and difficult subject to teach well. People who are not scientists often have a difficult time understanding the subject, and some scientists even use a definition that confuses it. This is especially relevant when discussing the nature of the words themselves.
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 manner. It is a companion for the 2001 series, and also a resource on its own. The content is presented in a nested manner that aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor and the gradual process. These terms help to define the nature and relationship of evolution to other concepts in science. The site provides an overview of the manner in which evolution has been tested. This information will help to dispel the myths created by creationists.
It is also possible to get a glossary of terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency for hereditary traits to become more suitable to a particular setting. This is the result of natural selection. Organisms with better-adapted characteristics are more likely than those with less adaptable traits to reproduce and survive.
Common ancestor (also known as common ancestor) is the most recent ancestor shared by two or more species. By studying the DNA of these species, it is possible to identify the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A huge biological molecular containing the information required for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences that are strung into long chains, referred to as chromosomes. Mutations are responsible for the creation of new genetic information inside cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species where evolution of one species influence evolutionary changes in the other. Examples of coevolution are the interactions between predator and prey or parasite and host.
Origins
Species (groups that can interbreed), evolve through a series natural changes in their offspring's traits. The changes can be triggered by a variety, including natural selection, genetic drift and mixing of gene pools. The evolution of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, like climate change or competition for food and habitat can impede or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site tracks through time the evolution of different groups of animals and plants with a focus on major changes in each group's history. It also examines the evolution of humans and is a subject that is of particular interest to students.
When Darwin wrote the Origin in 1859, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been found. The skullcap that is famous, along with the bones associated with it, was discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now recognized as an early Homo neanderthalensis. Although the skullcap was not published until 1858, just a year before the first edition of the Origin appeared, it is extremely unlikely that Darwin had seen or heard of it.
The site is primarily an online biology resource however it also includes many details on geology and paleontology. The most impressive features on the site are a series of timelines which show how climatic and geological conditions have changed over time, as well as an interactive map of the distribution of a few fossil groups listed on the site.
While the site is a companion piece to the PBS television series, it also stands on its own as a great source for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and provides clear links to the introductory material of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's support) and the more specific features of the museum's website. These links make it easier to move from the cartoon-style Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated worlds of research science. There are links to John Endler's experiments with guppies, which illustrate the importance 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 geological context and has many advantages over the modern observational and research methods in its exploration of evolutionary processes. Paleobiology focuses on not just the processes and events that happen frequently or over time, but also the relative abundance and distribution of different groups of animals across the geological time.
The site is divided up into several options to learn about evolution. One of the paths, "Evolution 101," takes the viewer through the evolution of nature and the evidence of evolution. The path also explores misconceptions about evolution and the background of evolutionary thought.
Each of the main sections of the Evolution website is equally well-developed, with materials that support a variety educational levels and teaching styles. The site offers a wide array of interactive and multimedia resources, including video clips, animations and virtual laboratories as well as general textual content. The content is presented in a nested bread crumb fashion that aids navigation and orientation within the vast web site.
The page "Coral Reef Connections" For instance, the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides a comprehensive overview of the relationships between corals and interactions with other organisms, and then zooms in to a single clam, which can communicate with its neighbors and react to changes in the conditions of the water at the reef level. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary, multimedia and interactive pages on the site, provide an excellent introduction to a broad variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The information also includes an explanation of the role of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetic analysis, which is a crucial method to understand evolutionary change.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students the concept of evolution is a major thread that binds all branches of the field. A wide selection of resources helps teachers teach evolution across the life science disciplines.
One resource, the companion to PBS's television show Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of an Web site that provides depth as well as broadness in terms of educational resources. The site offers a range of interactive learning modules. It also has a nested "bread crumb" structure that helps students move from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this large Web site more closely tied to the field of research science. For example an animation that introduces the notion of genetic inheritance leads to a page that highlights John Endler's experiments in artificial selection using guppies in the ponds of his native country of Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website has a huge multimedia library of materials that deal to evolution. 에볼루션바카라 is organized in curriculum-based pathways that correspond to the learning objectives set out in the biology standards. It contains seven videos specifically designed for use in classrooms, and can be streamed for free or purchased on DVD.
Evolutionary biology is an area of study that poses many important questions to answer, such as what triggers evolution and the speed at which it occurs. This is especially applicable to human evolution where it's been difficult to reconcile that the physical traits of humans evolved from apes with religious beliefs that hold that humanity is unique among living things and has an exclusive place in the creation with a soul.
Additionally, there are a number of ways that evolution can be triggered with natural selection being the most widely accepted theory. However scientists also study other kinds of evolution, such as mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection, among others.
Although many scientific fields of study have a conflict with literal interpretations in religious texts, the concept of evolution biology has been a source of intense controversy and opposition from religious fundamentalists. Some religions have reconciled their beliefs to evolution while others haven't.