Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology teachers, there are still misconceptions about evolution. People who have been exposed to pop science nonsense often assume that biologists claim they don't believe in evolution.
This rich website - companion to the PBS series offers teachers with resources that promote evolution education and avoids the kinds of misinformation that can make it difficult to understand. It's organized in a nested "bread crumb" format for ease of navigation and orientation.
Definitions
It's difficult to effectively 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 especially relevant when it comes to the meaning of the words themselves.
It is essential to define terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website does this in a simple and efficient way. It is an accompanying site for the 2001 series, but it is also a resource on its own. The material is organized in a way that makes it easy to navigate and comprehend.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor (or common ancestor), gradual process and adaptation. These terms help to define the nature of evolution and its relationship to evolution to other concepts in science. The site gives a comprehensive overview of the manner that evolution has been tested. This information can help dispel the myths created by creationists.
You can also access a glossary that includes terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency of heritable traits to become better suited to a particular environment. This is a result of natural selection, which happens when organisms with better adapted traits are more likely survive and reproduce than those with less adaptable characteristics.
Common ancestor: The most recent common ancestor of two or more species. The common ancestor can be identified through analyzing the DNA of these species.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A massive biological molecular that contains the 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 inside cells.
Coevolution: A relationship between two species where evolutionary changes in one species are affected by changes in evolutionary processes in the other. Coevolution can be seen in the interaction of predator and prey, or parasite and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals that can interbreed) evolve through natural changes in the characteristics of their offspring. These changes can be caused by many factors, such as natural selection, gene drift, and mixing of the gene pool. The development of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental circumstances, such as changes in the climate or competition for food and habitat can slow or speed up the process.
The Evolution site tracks the development of various animal and plant groups through time, focusing on the major shifts that occurred throughout the history of each group. It also explores human evolution, which is a topic that is particularly important for students.
When Darwin wrote the Origin in 1859, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been discovered. The famous skullcap, along with the bones associated with it were discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now recognized as an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is unlikely that Darwin knew about the skullcap, which was first published in 1858, a year following the initial edition of The Origin. Origin.
While the site focuses on biology, it contains a wealth of information on geology and paleontology. Among the best features of the Web site are a series of timelines that illustrate how geological and climatic conditions changed over time, as well as an outline of the geographical distribution of some fossil groups listed on the site.
While the site is a companion piece to a PBS television show, it also stands on its own as a valuable resource for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and offers easy links to the introductory information of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's support) and the more specific features of the museum website. mouse click the up coming post make it easier to transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated worlds of research science. There are also links to John Endler's experiments with guppies. They illustrate 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 and has many advantages over modern observational and experimental methods in its exploration of evolutionary phenomena. Paleobiology focuses on not only the process and events that occur frequently or over time, but also the relative abundance and distribution of various animal groups across the geological time.
The site is divided into various pathways to understanding evolution that include "Evolution 101," which takes the user on a linear path through the scientific process and the evidence that supports the theory of evolution. The path also explores misconceptions regarding evolution, as well as the history of evolutionary thinking.
Each of the main sections on the Evolution website is equally well-developed, with materials that can be used to support a variety of curriculum levels and teaching styles. The site offers a wide array of interactive and multimedia content that include videos, animations, and virtual laboratories as well as general textual content. The content is presented in a nested bread crumb style that facilitates navigation and orientation within the vast web site.
For example the page "Coral Reef Connections" gives a brief overview of coral relationships and their interactions with other organisms. It then narrows down to a single clam that can communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in the water conditions that take place at the level of the reef. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary multimedia and interactive pages, provides an excellent introduction to the many areas of evolutionary biology. The material includes an explanation of the significance of natural selectivity and the concept of phylogenetics, an important method for understanding the evolution of change.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is a common thread that connects all branches of biology. A wide selection of resources helps teachers teach evolution across all disciplines of life sciences.
One resource, the companion to PBS's TV series Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of a Web site that provides the depth and the broadness in terms of educational resources. The site has a variety of interactive learning modules. It also has an encased "bread crumb" structure that helps students move from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this large Web site more closely linked to the field of research science. Animation that introduces the concept of genetics, which links to a page that highlights John Endler's experiments in artificial selection using Guppies living in ponds native to Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website has a huge multimedia library of resources that are associated to evolution. The content is organized in the form of curriculum-based pathways that are in line with the learning objectives outlined in the standards for biology. It contains seven short videos specifically designed for classroom use. They can be streamed or purchased as DVDs.
Evolutionary biology is still a field of study that has many important questions to answer, such as what causes evolution and how fast it takes place. This is especially applicable to human evolution which has made it difficult to reconcile the notion that the innate physical characteristics 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 number of ways that evolution could be triggered and natural selection is the most popular theory. Scientists also study different types such as mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection.
Although many scientific fields of study conflict with literal interpretations in religious texts, the concept of evolution biology has been a subject of intense debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. While some religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the notions of evolution, other religions aren't.