Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology teachers, misinformation about evolution persist. People who have been exposed to popular science myths often assume that biologists don't believe in evolution.
This rich website - companion to the PBS series It provides teachers with materials which support evolution education and avoids the kinds of misconceptions that make it difficult to understand. It's laid out in a "bread crumb" format to facilitate navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complex and difficult subject to teach effectively. Many non-scientists are unable to grasp the concept, and some scientists even employ a definition that confuses it. This is particularly relevant to discussions on the nature of the word.
It is therefore essential to define the terms used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website provides this in a simple and efficient manner. The site is a companion site to the show which first aired in 2001, but also functions as an independent resource. The information is presented in a structured way that makes it easy to navigate and comprehend.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor, gradual process and so on. These terms help to define the nature and relationship of evolution to other scientific concepts. The site then offers an overview of how the concept of evolution has been tested and validated. This information can help dispel myths created by creationists.
You can also access a glossary that contains terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
The process of adaptation is the tendency of heritable traits to be better suited to an environment. This is the result of natural selection. Organisms with better-adapted traits are more likely than those with less adapted traits to survive and reproduce.
Common ancestor (also known as common ancestor): The most recent ancestor shared by two or more species. By analyzing the DNA from these species it is possible to identify the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A large biological molecule that holds the information necessary for cell replication. The information is contained in sequences of nucleotides that are strung together into long chains, also known as chromosomes. Mutations are the reason behind the creation of new genetic information inside cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species where evolutionary changes in one species are dependent on evolutionary changes in the other. Examples of coevolution are the interactions between predator and prey or host and parasite.
Origins
Species (groups that can interbreed) change through a series natural changes in the traits of their offspring. The changes can be triggered by a variety of causes, including natural selection, genetic drift and gene pool mixing. The evolution of new species could take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, like changes in the climate or competition for food and habitat can impede or accelerate the process.
에볼루션 바카라 체험 of various groups of animals and plants over time, focusing on the major transitions that occurred in each group's history. It also examines the evolution of humans as a subject that is particularly important for students.
Darwin's Origin was published in 1859, at a time when only a handful of antediluvian fossils of humans were discovered. The most famous among them was the skullcap and bones that were discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany which is now believed to be an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is highly unlikely that Darwin knew about the skullcap when it was published in 1858, a year after the first edition of The Origin. Origin.
The site is mostly a biology site, but it also contains a lot of information on geology and paleontology. The most impressive features of the Web site are a timeline of events that illustrate the way in which climatic and geological conditions have changed over time as well as an outline of the geographical distribution of some fossil groups listed on the site.
Although the site is a companion to a PBS television show, it also stands on its own as an excellent resource for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and provides easy 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 hyperlinks help users move from the engaging cartoon style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. Particularly there are hyperlinks to John Endler's experiments using Guppies, which demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life on Earth has produced a diversity of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures in their natural environment offers many advantages over modern observational or experimental methods of studying evolutionary processes. Paleobiology is able to study not just the processes and events that take place regularly or over time but also the relative abundance and distribution of various animal groups across the geological time.
The site is divided up into different paths that can be chosen to gain knowledge about evolution. One of these 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 history of evolutionary thought.
Each of the other main sections of the Evolution site is equally well created, with resources that support a variety of different pedagogical levels and curriculum levels. The site offers a wide array of multimedia and interactive resources which include video clips, animations and virtual labs, in addition to its general textual content. The breadcrumb-like organization of the content assists with navigation and orientation on the large web site.
The page "Coral Reef Connections" For instance, it provides a comprehensive overview of the coral's relationships and interactions with other organisms and zooms in on one clam, which can communicate with its neighbors and react to changes in the conditions of the water that occur at the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary, multimedia, and interactive pages on the site, provide an excellent introduction to the broad variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The content also includes an overview of the significance of natural selectivity and the concept of phylogenetics analysis, an important tool to understand evolutionary change.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students evolution is a crucial thread that connects all branches of the field. A vast collection of resources supports teaching about evolution across all life sciences.
One resource, which is the companion to PBS's TV series 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 variety of interactive learning modules. It also features a "bread crumb structure" that allows students to move away from the cartoon-like style used in Understanding Evolution and onto elements of this vast website that are closely connected to the realms of research science. For instance an animation that introduces the notion of genetic inheritance leads to a page highlighting John Endler's experiments with artificial selection with guppies in native ponds of Trinidad.
Another helpful resource is the Evolution Library on this Web site, which contains an extensive collection of multimedia items connected to evolution. The content is organized according to curriculum-based paths that parallel the learning objectives outlined in the standards for biology. It contains seven videos designed specifically for classroom use, which 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 the causes of evolution and how fast it takes place. This is particularly true for the evolution of humans where it was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humanity has a special place in creation and a soul with the idea that innate physical traits were derived from the apes.
There are a myriad of other ways evolution can occur and natural selection being the most widely accepted theory. However scientists also study different kinds of evolution, such as mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection, among others.
While many fields of scientific study conflict with literal interpretations in religious texts, evolution biology has been a subject of intense debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. Some religions have reconciled their beliefs with evolution, but others haven't.