Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology teachers, misinformation about evolution remain. Pop science nonsense has led people to believe that biologists aren't believers in evolution.
This site, which is a companion to the PBS series offers teachers with resources that support evolution education and help avoid the kinds of myths that make it difficult to understand. It's organized in a "bread crumb" format to aid in navigation and orientation.
Definitions
It's difficult to teach evolution well. Many non-scientists are unable to grasp the concept, and some scientists even use a definition that confuses it. This is especially true when discussing the nature of the words themselves.
It is essential to define terms used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a simple and efficient manner. The site is both an accompaniment to the 2001 series, but also a resource of its own. The material is presented in a nested fashion which aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms like common ancestor (or common ancestor), gradual process, and adaptation. These terms help frame the nature and relationship of evolution with other scientific concepts. The website then provides an overview of how the concept of evolution has been tested and validated. This information will help to dispel the myths that are created by the creationists.
It is also possible to get the glossary of terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation is the tendency of hereditary traits to become more suited to the environment. This is due to natural selection, which happens when organisms that are better adapted traits are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adapted characteristics.
Common ancestor: The most recent common ancestor of two or more different species. The common ancestor can be identified by studying the DNA of the species.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A huge biological molecule that contains the information needed for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences that are strung into long chains called chromosomes. Mutations are the source of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution: A relationship between two species where evolutionary changes in one species are affected by changes in evolutionary processes in the other. Examples of coevolution include the interactions between predator and prey, or the parasite and the host.
Origins
Species (groups that can crossbreed) change through a series natural changes in their offspring's traits. The changes can be triggered by a variety of causes, including natural selection, genetic drift and gene pool mixing. The development of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, such as changes in the climate or competition for food or habitat, can slow or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site follows the emergence of various animal and plant groups with a focus on major changes in each group's past. It also examines the evolutionary history of humans, a topic that is crucial for students to comprehend.
When Darwin wrote the Origin in 1859, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been found. One of them was the infamous skullcap and the associated bones discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany that is now thought to be an early Homo neanderthalensis. While the skullcap wasn't published until 1858, which was one year after the first edition of the Origin appeared, it is extremely unlikely that Darwin had ever heard of it.
While the site is focused on biology, it includes a good deal of information about geology as well as paleontology. The site offers numerous features that are particularly impressive, such as the timeline of how geological and climate conditions have changed over the course of time. It also features an interactive map that shows the location of fossil groups.
The site is a companion for the PBS television 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 assistance) and the more specific features of the museum's website. These hyperlinks help users move from the enthralling cartoon style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world 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 on Earth has resulted in a variety of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology, the study of these creatures in their geological environment is a superior method of study over modern observational or research methods of studying evolutionary processes. Paleobiology is able to study not just the processes and events that happen regularly or over time, but also the relative abundance and distribution of different species of animals across the geological time.
The website is divided into different options to study the subject of evolution. One of these paths, "Evolution 101," guides the user through the evolution of nature and the evidence of evolution. The path also reveals common misconceptions about evolution and the evolution of thought.
Each of the other major sections of the Evolution site is equally well developed, with materials that support a variety of curriculum levels and pedagogical styles. In addition to general textual content, the site features an extensive selection of multimedia and interactive content including videos, animations and virtual labs. The breadcrumb-like arrangement of the content aids in navigation and orientation on the large web site.
For instance the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides a comprehensive overview of coral relationships and their interaction with other organisms. It then narrows down to a single clam that is able to communicate with its neighbors and react to changes in water conditions that occur at the level of the reef. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary, multimedia, and interactive pages on the site, offer an excellent introduction to a wide variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The content includes an explanation of the importance of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetics analysis which is a crucial method for understanding the evolution of changes.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students, evolution is a key thread that binds all the branches of the field. A vast 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 exceptional example of an Web site that provides depth and breadth in its educational resources. The site offers a range of interactive learning modules. It also features a "bread crumb structure" that allows students to move away from the cartoon-like style of Understanding Evolution and onto elements of this vast website that are closely related to the fields of research science. For example an animation that explains the idea of genetic inheritance connects to a page that focuses on John Endler's experiments in artificial selection using guppies in the ponds of his native country of Trinidad.
Another resource that is worth mentioning is the Evolution Library on this web website, which includes an extensive collection of multimedia assets related to evolution. The contents are organized into curricula-based pathways that correspond to the learning objectives set out in biology standards. It contains seven videos designed specifically for use in the classroom, and can be streamed for free or purchased on DVD.
Evolutionary biology is an area of study with a lot of important questions, including what causes evolution and the speed at which it occurs. 에볼루션게이밍 is especially true in the case of human evolution which was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that humans have a distinct position in the universe and a soul with the idea that innate physical traits originated from the apes.
Additionally there are a variety of ways that evolution can occur and natural selection is the most widely accepted theory. Scientists also study other kinds such as mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection.
While many scientific fields of study conflict with literal interpretations in religious texts, evolution biology has been a subject of intense debate and opposition from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the theories of evolution, others aren't.