Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misinformation about evolution remain. Pop science fiction has led a lot of people to think that biologists don't believe in evolution.
This rich Web site, which is a companion to the PBS program that provides teachers with resources which support evolution education while avoiding the types of misconceptions which hinder it. It's organized in the "bread crumb" format to make navigation and orientation easier.
Definitions
It's not easy to teach evolution well. Many non-scientists are unable to grasp the concept and some scientists use a definition that confuses it. This is particularly relevant when discussing the meaning of the words themselves.
As such, it is important to define terms used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a clear and useful manner. It is an accompaniment to the 2001 series, but it is also a resource on its own. The information is presented in an organized manner that makes it easier to navigate and comprehend.
The site defines terms like common ancestor, gradual process and so on. These terms help to frame the nature of evolution as well as its relation to other scientific concepts. The site provides an overview of the way in which evolution has been tested. This information can be used to dispel misconceptions that have been engendered by the creationists.
It is also possible to find the glossary of terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency of heritable characteristics to become more suited to a particular environment. This is a result of natural selection. Organisms with more adaptable traits are more likely than those with less adapted characteristics to survive and reproduce.
Common ancestor (also called common ancestor): The most recent ancestor shared by two or more species. The common ancestor can be identified through analyzing the DNA of those species.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A large biological molecular that holds the necessary information for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences, which are strung into long chains, referred to as chromosomes. Mutations are the reason behind the creation of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species where evolutionary changes in one species are dependent on evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution is evident in the interaction of predator and prey, or parasites and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals who can interbreed) change through a series of natural changes in the characteristics of their offspring. The changes can be caused by a variety, including natural selection, genetic drift, and gene pool mixing. The evolution of new species could take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, such as changes in the climate or competition for food resources and habitat can impede or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site tracks through time the evolution of different animal and plant groups and focuses on major changes within each group's past. 에볼루션 슬롯 focuses on human evolution as a subject that is of particular interest to students.
When Darwin wrote the Origin, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been found. The famous skullcap, with the bones associated with it were discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now known as an early Homo neanderthalensis. While the skullcap wasn't published until 1858, one year after the first edition of the Origin was published, it's very unlikely that Darwin had ever heard of it.
The site is primarily an online biology resource however, it also has a lot of information on paleontology and geology. The Web site has a number of features that are particularly impressive, such as an overview of how climate and geological conditions have changed over time. It also includes an interactive map that shows the location of fossil groups.
The site is a companion to the PBS TV series but it could be used as a resource by teachers and students. The site is well-organized and provides clear links to the introduction content of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's funding) and the more specialized features of the museum's website. These hyperlinks make it easy to move from the cartoon-style Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated realms of research science. There are also links to John Endler's experiments with guppies that illustrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life on Earth has produced a diversity of plants, animals, and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures within their natural environment and has a number of advantages over the modern observational and research methods of examining evolutionary phenomena. Paleobiology is able to study not only processes and events that occur regularly or over time, but also the relative abundance and distribution of various animal groups in space throughout the geological time.
The site is divided into different routes that can be taken to learn about evolution. One of the paths, "Evolution 101," takes the viewer through the evolution of nature and the evidence of evolution. The course also focuses on common misconceptions about evolution and the evolution of thought.
Each of the other sections of the Evolution site is equally well constructed, with materials that support a variety of different pedagogical levels and curriculum levels. In addition to general textual content, the site offers a wide range of multimedia and interactive content, such as video clips, animations, and virtual labs. The breadcrumb-like organization of the content helps with navigation and orientation on the large website.
The page "Coral Reef Connections" For instance, it gives a brief overview of the relationships between corals, their interaction with other organisms and then zooms in on a single clam, which can communicate with its neighbours and respond to changes in conditions of the water that occur at the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary interactive and multimedia pages, provides an excellent introduction to the many areas of evolutionary biology. The content also includes an overview of the role of natural selectivity and the concept phylogenetics analysis as a key tool for understanding evolutionary changes.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is a common thread that connects all branches of biology. A vast collection of resources supports teaching about evolution across the life sciences.
One resource, a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an outstanding example of an Web site that provides depth and breadth in its educational resources. The site features a wide range of interactive learning modules. It also features an "bread crumb structure" that helps students move away from the cartoon-like style used in Understanding Evolution and onto elements on this large website more closely linked to the worlds of research science. An animation that introduces the concept of genetics, which links to a page about John Endler's artificial-selection experiments with Guppies in native ponds in Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website contains a large multimedia library of resources that are associated with evolution. The content is organized into courses that are based on curriculum and follow the learning goals established in the biology standards. It includes seven short videos designed for classroom use. These are available to stream or purchase as DVDs.
Many important questions remain in the midst of evolutionary biology, such as the factors that trigger evolution and the speed at which it occurs. This is particularly relevant in the case of human evolution, where it was difficult to reconcile religious beliefs that humans have a distinct place in the creation and a soul with the notion that our physical traits evolved from Apes.
Additionally there are a variety of ways in which evolution could be triggered and natural selection is the most popular theory. However scientists also study different types of evolution such as mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection, among others.
While many scientific fields of study have a conflict with literal interpretations found in religious texts, evolution biology has been the subject of intense controversy and opposition from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the theories of evolution, other religions haven't.
