Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, there are still a lot of misconceptions regarding evolution. Pop science nonsense has led people to believe that biologists don't believe evolution.
This site, which is a companion to the PBS series - provides teachers with materials which support evolution education and avoids the kinds of misinformation that can hinder it. It's laid out in a nested "bread crumb" format to make it easy for navigation and orientation.
Definitions
It's not easy to effectively teach evolution. People who are not scientists often have a difficult time understanding the subject, and some scientists even use a definition which confuses it. This is particularly true when it comes to discussions on the definition of the word itself.
It is essential to define terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website helps you define these terms in a simple and efficient manner. The website is a companion to the series that first aired in 2001, but can also function as an independent resource. The material is presented in a nested manner that assists in navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms like common ancestor and gradual process. These terms help to define the nature of evolution and its relationship to other scientific concepts. 에볼루션게이밍 provides an overview of the way the concept of evolution has been examined. This information can help dispel the myths created by creationists.
You can also access a glossary which contains terms that are used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency for heritable characteristics to become more suitable to a particular setting. This is due to natural selection, which occurs when organisms with better adapted traits are more likely survive and reproduce than those with less adapted characteristics.
Common ancestor: The latest common ancestor of two or more distinct species. The common ancestor can be identified by studying the DNA of the species.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A large biological molecule that holds the information necessary for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences that are strung into long chains 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 influenced by evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution can be observed in the interactions between predator and prey, or parasite and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups which can interbreed) develop through a series natural changes in the traits of their offspring. These changes are caused by a variety of causes that include natural selection, genetic drift and mixing of genes. The development of a new species may take thousands of years and the process could be slowed down or accelerated by environmental factors like climate change or the competition for food or habitat.
The Evolution site tracks the evolution of a variety of species of plants and animals over time with a focus on the key transitions that occurred in each group's history. It also examines the evolution of humans, which is a topic of particular importance for students.
Darwin's Origin was published in 1859, when only a few antediluvian fossils of humans were discovered. The skullcap that is famous, along with the associated bones, was discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now known as an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is highly unlikely that Darwin knew about the skullcap, which was published in 1858, one year after the first edition of The Origin.
The site is primarily an online biology resource however it also includes lots of information about geology and paleontology. The site offers a number of features that are particularly impressive, including a timeline of how climate and geological conditions have changed over the course of time. It also has a map showing the distribution of fossil groups.
While the site is a companion piece to the PBS television show but it also stands on its own as a great resource for 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 on 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. In particular, there are links to John Endler's experiments using guppies that illustrate the importance of 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 within their natural environment and has many advantages over modern observational and experimental methods of examining evolutionary processes. Paleobiology is able to study not only processes and events that occur frequently or over time, but also the distribution and frequency of different groups of animals across geological time.
The site is divided up into different paths that can be chosen to study the subject of evolution. One of the paths, "Evolution 101," guides the user through the complexities and evidence of evolution. The path also explores misconceptions regarding evolution, as well as the history of evolutionary thought.
Each of the other major sections of the Evolution site is similarly developed, with materials that can support a variety of different pedagogical levels and curriculum levels. The site offers a wide array of interactive and multimedia content, including video clips, animations and virtual laboratories in addition to general textual content. 에볼루션카지노 is organized in a nested, bread crumb-like fashion that helps with navigation and orientation within the vast Web site.
The page "Coral Reef Connections", for example, gives a brief overview of the coral's relationships and interactions with other organisms and then zooms in on one clam that is able communicate with its neighbours and respond to changes in conditions of the water at the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary, multimedia, and interactive pages on the site, offer an excellent introduction to the broad range of topics in evolutionary biology. The content also includes an overview of the importance of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetic analysis which is a key tool for understanding the evolution of change.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students, evolution is a key thread that weaves together all branches of the field. A wide range 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 a variety of educational resources. The site features a wide range of interactive learning modules. It also features a nested "bread crumb" structure that allows students to move from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this huge site that are closer to the world of research science. Animation that introduces the concept of genetics is linked to a page about John Endler's artificial-selection experiments with Guppies in native ponds in Trinidad.
Another resource that is worth mentioning is the Evolution Library on this Web site, which has an extensive library of multimedia items connected to evolution. The content is organized into curriculum-based paths that parallel the learning objectives outlined in the biology standards. It contains seven videos specifically designed for classroom use, which can be streamed for free or purchased on DVD.
A number of important questions remain at the heart of evolutionary biology, such as what causes evolution to occur and how fast it occurs. This is particularly relevant for humans' evolution where it was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humanity has a special place in the creation and a soul, with the idea that innate physical traits evolved from apes.
Additionally, there are a number of ways that evolution could be triggered and natural selection is the most widely accepted theory. Scientists also study other types like mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection.
While many scientific fields of inquiry are in conflict with literal interpretations of religious texts Evolutionary biology has been the subject of controversial debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the ideas of evolution, others haven't.