Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misconceptions about evolution remain. Pop science fiction has led a lot of people to believe that biologists don't believe evolution.
This site, which is a companion to the PBS series - provides teachers with materials which support evolution education and help avoid the kinds of myths that hinder it. It's laid out in a nested "bread crumb" format to make it easy for navigation and orientation.
Definitions
It's difficult to properly teach evolution. People who are not scientists often have a difficult time understanding the subject and some scientists use a definition which confuses it. This is particularly true when it comes to debates about the meaning of the word itself.
It is therefore essential to define the terms used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website provides this in a straightforward and useful manner. The site is both a companion for the 2001 series, and also a resource of its own. The content is presented in a way that assists in navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor and gradual process. These terms help to frame 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 examined. This information will help to dispel the myths created by creationists.
You can also access a glossary that includes terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation is the tendency of heritable traits to be better suited to an environment. This is a result of natural selection. Organisms that have better-adapted characteristics are more likely than those with less-adapted traits to reproduce and survive.
Common ancestor (also known as common ancestor) is the most recent ancestral ancestor shared by two or more species. By analyzing the DNA from these species it is possible to determine the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A huge biological molecular that holds the information required for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences that are strung into long chains known as chromosomes. Mutations are the reason behind the creation of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species in which evolutionary changes in one species are dependent on evolutionary changes in the other. Examples of coevolution are the interactions between predator and prey, or the parasite and the host.
Origins
Species (groups that can crossbreed), evolve through a series natural changes in the traits of their offspring. The causes of these changes are many factors, such as natural selection, gene drift, and mixing of the gene pool. The development of a new species can take thousands of years, and the process can be slowed or increased due to environmental conditions, such as climate change or the competition for food or habitat.
The Evolution site traces through time the evolution of various animal and plant groups, focusing on major transitions in each group's history. It also examines the evolution of humans and is a subject of particular importance to students.
Darwin's Origin was published in 1859, when just a handful of antediluvian fossils of humans were discovered. The skullcap that is famous, along with the bones that accompanied it, was 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 after the first edition of the Origin was published, it's very unlikely that Darwin had seen or heard of it.
The site is primarily a biology site however it also includes a lot of information on geology and paleontology. 에볼루션 바카라 체험 of the most appealing features on the site are a timeline of events that show how geological and climatic conditions have changed over time and an interactive map of the distribution of some fossil groups that are featured on the site.
The site is a companion to a PBS TV series but it could also be used as a resource by teachers and students. The site is well-organized, and provides clear links to the introduction information of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's support) and the more specialized features of the museum's website. These hyperlinks make it easier to move from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated realms of research science. There are links to John Endler’s experiments with guppies. They demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life has produced many species of plants, animals and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures in their geological context and has a number of advantages over the modern observational and research methods for analyzing evolutionary processes. Paleobiology is able to study not only the process and events that take place regularly or over time but also the distribution and frequency of different species of animals across geological time.
The Web site is divided into various ways to learn about evolution, including "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a liner path through the nature of science and the evidence supporting the theory of evolution. The course also focuses on common misconceptions about evolution as well as the evolution theory's history.
Each of the other main sections of the Evolution site is equally constructed, with materials that can support a variety of educational levels and pedagogical styles. The site offers a wide array of multimedia and interactive resources, including animations, video clips and virtual laboratories, in addition to its general textual content. The content is organized in a nested, bread crumb-like fashion that helps with 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 coral relationships and their interactions with other organisms and is enlarged to show one clam that is able communicate with its neighbours and respond to changes in the conditions of the water that occur at the reef level. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary, multimedia and interactive pages on the site, offer an excellent introduction to the broad spectrum of topics in evolutionary biology. The content also includes an overview of the importance of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetic analysis, which is an important method to understand evolutionary change.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students the concept of evolution is a major thread that weaves together all branches of the field. A rich collection of resources can help teachers teach about evolution across all life sciences.
One resource, a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an excellent example of a Web site that provides depth and breadth in its 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 style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this huge site that are closer to the field of research science. An animation that introduces students to the concept of genetics, which links to a page about John Endler's artificial-selection experiments with Guppies living in ponds native to Trinidad.
Another helpful resource is the Evolution Library on this web site, which contains an extensive multimedia library of assets connected to evolution. The content is organized into the form of curriculum-based pathways that are in line with the learning goals set forth in the biology standards. It includes seven short videos designed specifically for use in classrooms, and can be streamed for free or purchased on DVD.
Evolutionary biology is a field of study that poses many important questions, including the causes of evolution and how quickly it happens. This is particularly applicable to human evolution which has made it difficult to reconcile that the physical traits of humans derived from apes, and the religious beliefs that claim that humans are unique among living things and holds a an enviable place in creation, with soul.
Additionally there are a myriad of ways that evolution can be triggered, with natural selection being the most popular theory. However, scientists also study other kinds of evolution, such as genetic drift, mutation, and sexual selection, among others.
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 theories of evolution, others have not.