Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts by biology educators, misconceptions persist about the evolution. People who have absorbed the nonsense of pop science often believe that biologists are saying they do not believe in evolution.
This site, a companion to the PBS program that provides teachers with resources which support evolution education, while avoiding the kinds of misconceptions that hinder it. It's organized in a nested "bread crumb" format to facilitate navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complex and difficult subject to teach well. It is often misunderstood by non-scientists and even scientists use definitions that confuse the issue. This is particularly relevant to discussions on the nature of the word.
It is crucial to define the terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding 에볼루션 블랙잭 does this in a straightforward and useful way. It is an accompaniment to the 2001 series, but it is also a resource on its own. The material is presented in a way that aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms like common ancestor, the gradual process and adaptation. These terms help define the nature of evolution and its relationship to evolution to other concepts in science. The site provides an overview of the way the concept of evolution has been examined. This information can be used to dispel misconceptions that have been created by creationists.
It is also possible to access the glossary of terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation is the process of changing hereditary traits to become more suited to the environment. This is a result of natural selection. Organisms that have better-adapted traits are more likely than those with less adaptable characteristics to survive and reproduce.
Common ancestor: The most recent common ancestor of two or more distinct species. The common ancestor can be identified through analyzing the DNA of those species.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A large biological molecular that holds the information needed for cell replication. The information is stored in a sequence of nucleotides that are strung together into long chains, referred to as chromosomes. Mutations are the reason behind the creation of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution is a relation between two species where evolutionary changes of one species influence evolutionary changes in the other. Examples of coevolution include the interaction between predator and prey or the parasite and the host.
Origins
Species (groups that can crossbreed) develop by a series of natural variations in their offspring's traits. The changes can be triggered by a variety, including natural selection, genetic drift and gene pool mixing. The evolution of new species could take thousands of years. Environmental circumstances, such as climate change or competition for food and habitat, can slow or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site tracks the development of various groups of animals and plants over time and focuses on the most significant changes that took place in the history of each group. It also focuses on human evolution, which is a topic of particular importance for students.
When Darwin wrote the Origin of Species, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been found. The famous skullcap, 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. While the skullcap wasn't published until 1858, one year before the first edition of the Origin was published, it is extremely unlikely that Darwin had ever heard of it.
The site is mostly a biology site however it also includes many details on geology and paleontology. Among the best features of the Web site are a set of timelines that illustrate the way in which climatic and geological conditions changed over time, and an outline of the distribution of some fossil groups that are featured on the site.
The site is a companion to the PBS television series, but it can be used as a resource by teachers and students. The site is well-organized, and provides easy links to the introductory content of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's funding) and the more specific features of the museum's website. These hyperlinks help users move from the cartoon-like style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. There are also links to John Endler's experiments with guppies, which illustrate the importance ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life on Earth has resulted in a variety of plants, animals, and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures in their natural environment, has many advantages over the current observational or experimental methods of studying evolutionary processes. Paleobiology focuses on not only the process and events that happen regularly or over time but also the distribution and frequency of different species of animals in space throughout geological time.
The site is divided into several paths that can be chosen to study the subject of evolution. One of these paths, "Evolution 101," walks the reader through the evolution of nature and the evidence of evolution. The path also explores misconceptions regarding evolution, as well as the history of evolutionary thinking.
Each of the other main sections of the Evolution site is similarly developed, with materials that can support a variety of educational levels and pedagogical 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 breadcrumb-like organization of the content aids in navigation and orientation on the vast Web site.
The page "Coral Reef Connections", for example, gives a brief overview of the relationships between corals and interactions with other organisms and then is enlarged to show one clam that is able communicate with its neighbours and respond to changes in the water conditions that occur on the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary multimedia and interactive pages, offers a great introduction to the many areas of evolutionary biology. The content also includes an overview of the role of natural selectivity and the concept of phylogenetics analysis which is a crucial method for understanding the evolution of change.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students evolution is a crucial thread that connects all the branches of the field. A wide selection of resources helps teachers teach evolution across the disciplines of life science.
One resource, which is a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an exceptional example of a Web site that provides the depth and breadth of its educational resources. The site offers a range of interactive learning modules. It also has an "bread crumb structure" that assists students in moving away from the cartoon-like style of Understanding Evolution and onto elements of this vast website that are closely connected to the fields of research science. For example, an animation introducing the notion of genetic inheritance leads to a page that highlights John Endler's experiments with artificial selection with guppies in native ponds of Trinidad.
Another helpful resource is the Evolution Library on this site, which contains an extensive multimedia library of resources that are related to evolution. The content is organized into the form of curriculum-based pathways that are in line with the learning goals set forth in biology standards. It contains seven short videos specifically intended for use in the classroom. These can be viewed online or purchased as DVDs.
Evolutionary biology is still an area of study that has many important questions, such as what causes evolution and how quickly it occurs. This is particularly true for the evolution of humans where it was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humanity has a unique place in creation and a soul with the idea that innate physical traits were derived from the apes.
There are also a number of other ways in which evolution could occur, with natural selection as the most widely accepted theory. Scientists also study other kinds like mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection.
Many fields of inquiry have a conflict with literal interpretations of the Bible, evolutionary biology has been the subject of particularly controversial debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have managed to reconcile their beliefs with the theories of evolution, others haven't.