Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misinformation about evolution remain. Pop science nonsense has led people to believe that biologists don't believe evolution.
This rich Web site - companion to the PBS series offers teachers with resources which support evolution education and avoids the kinds of misconceptions that hinder it. It's organized in a "bread crumb" format to facilitate navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complicated and difficult subject matter to teach effectively. It is often misunderstood by non-scientists, and even some scientists have been guilty of using an interpretation that is confusing the issue. This is particularly relevant to discussions on the nature of the word.
It is therefore important to define the terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website helps you define these terms in an easy and helpful way. The site serves as an accompaniment to the 2001 series, and it is also a resource on its own. The content is presented in a way that assists in navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor, the gradual process and adaptation. These terms help to frame the nature of evolution and its relation to other concepts in science. The site gives a comprehensive overview of the ways that evolution has been examined. This information can help dispel the myths that are created by the creationists.
You can also consult a glossary that contains terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation is the tendency of heritable traits to become more suited to the environment. This is the result of natural selection. Organisms with better-adapted characteristics are more likely than those with less adapted traits 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 these species.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A massive biological molecule that contains information needed for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences, which are strung into long chains known as chromosomes. Mutations are responsible for the creation of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution is a relation between two species in which the evolution of one species are influenced evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution is evident in the interaction of predator and prey, or parasites and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups which can interbreed) develop through a series natural changes in their offspring's traits. These changes are caused by a variety of causes that include natural selection, genetic drift, and mixing of genes. The evolution of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, like climate changes or competition for food resources and habitat, can slow or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site follows the evolution of various groups of animals and plants and focuses on major changes within each group's past. It also examines the evolution of humans as a subject of particular importance for students.
When Darwin wrote the Origin, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been discovered. The skullcap that is famous, along with the associated bones were 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, which was one year after the first edition of the Origin appeared, it is extremely unlikely that Darwin had heard or seen of it.
The site is mostly a biology site, but it also contains many details on paleontology and geology. The Web site has numerous features that are especially impressive, including the timeline of the way that climate and geological conditions have changed over the course of time. It also includes maps that show the locations of fossil groups.
While the site is a companion piece to the PBS television show, it also stands on its own as a valuable resource for teachers and students. 에볼루션 무료 바카라 is very well-organized and has clear links between the introductory information in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more specialized components of the museum's Web site. These hyperlinks make it easy to transition from the cartoon-style Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated worlds of research science. Particularly there are hyperlinks to John Endler's experiments using Guppies that demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life has produced an array of plants, animals and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures within their geological environment is a superior method of study over modern observational or research methods for studying evolutionary phenomena. Paleobiology can examine not only processes and events that happen regularly or over time but also the distribution and frequency of various animal groups across geological time.
The site is divided into various routes that can be taken to learn about evolution. One of these paths, "Evolution 101," walks the reader through the nature and evidence of evolution. The course also focuses on misconceptions regarding evolution, as well as the history of evolutionary thinking.
Each of the other sections of the Evolution site is equally well created, with resources that support a variety of curriculum levels and pedagogical styles. The site includes a variety of multimedia and interactive resources, including videos, animations, and virtual labs in addition to general textual content. The content is presented in a nested bread crumb fashion that aids navigation and orientation within the vast Web site.
For example, the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides a comprehensive overview of coral relationships and their interaction with other organisms, then concentrates on a specific clam that can communicate with its neighbors and react to changes in the water conditions 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 includes an overview of the importance of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetics which is a crucial method for understanding the evolution of changes.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is an underlying thread that is found throughout all branches of biology. A vast collection of books helps in teaching evolution across all disciplines of life science.
One resource, the companion to PBS's television show Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of a Web site that provides depth and broadness in terms of educational resources. The site offers a range of interactive learning modules. It also has an "bread crumb structure" that helps students move away from the cartoon-like style that is used in Understanding Evolution and onto elements on this large website more closely linked to the worlds of research science. For example, an animation introducing the concept of genetic inheritance links to a page that focuses on 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 collection of multimedia assets related to evolution. The content is organized into curricula-based pathways that correspond to the learning objectives set out in the standards for biology. It contains seven videos designed specifically for use in classrooms, and can be streamed for free or purchased on DVD.
Evolutionary biology remains an area of study with a lot of important questions to answer, such as what causes evolution and the speed at which it happens. This is especially relevant to human evolution, where it has been difficult to reconcile the idea that the innate physical characteristics of humans evolved from apes, and the religions that believe that humans are unique in the universe and has an enviable place in creation with a soul.
In addition there are a myriad of ways that evolution could be triggered, with natural selection being the most widely accepted theory. However, scientists also study other types of evolution such as mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection, among others.
Many fields of inquiry conflict with the literal interpretations of the Bible, evolutionary biology has been the subject of particularly fierce debate and opposition from religious fundamentalists. Some religions have reconciled their beliefs to evolution but others haven't.