Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology teachers, misinformation about evolution remain. Pop science nonsense has led people to think that biologists don't believe in evolution.
This site, which is a companion to the PBS program that provides teachers with resources which support evolution education while avoiding the types of misconceptions that make it difficult to understand. It's arranged in a nested "bread crumb" format to make it easy for navigation and orientation.
Definitions
It's not easy to effectively teach evolution. Many non-scientists are unable to grasp the concept, and some scientists even use a definition which confuses it. 에볼루션 사이트 is especially applicable to discussions on the nature of the word.
It is essential to define terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website helps you define these terms in a straightforward and useful way. The site is a companion to the show which first aired in 2001, but can also function as an independent resource. The material is presented in a way which aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor, the gradual process and adaptation. These terms help frame the nature of evolution and its relationship to evolution with other scientific concepts. 에볼루션 바카라 체험 provides an overview of how the concept of evolution has been researched and confirmed. This information can be used to dispel myths that have been created by the creationists.
You can also access a glossary which includes terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
The process of adaptation is the tendency of hereditary traits to become more suitable to their environment. This is a result of natural selection. It occurs when organisms that have more adaptable traits are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adaptable traits.
Common ancestor: The most recent common ancestor of two or more different species. The common ancestor can be identified through analyzing the DNA of those species.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A large biological molecular that contains the information required for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences which are strung into long chains, referred to as chromosomes. Mutations are the cause of new genetic information in cells.
Coevolution: A relationship between two species in which 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 that can interbreed) develop through a series natural changes in the traits of their offspring. These changes are caused by a variety such as natural selection, genetic drift and mixing of gene pools. The development of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, like climate changes or competition for food or habitat can impede or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site tracks the evolution of a variety of species of plants and animals over time and focuses on the most significant shifts that occurred throughout each group's history. It also explores the evolutionary history of humans, a topic that is especially important for students to know.
When Darwin wrote the Origin of Species, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been discovered. The famous skullcap, with the associated bones, was discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now regarded as an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is unlikely that Darwin knew about the skullcap, which was first published in 1858, a year after the publication of the first edition of The Origin.
While the site focuses on biology, it also includes a good deal of information about geology as well as paleontology. One of the most appealing features of the website are a series of timelines which show how geological and climatic conditions have changed over time as well as an outline of the geographical distribution of some fossil groups listed on the site.
Although the site is a companion piece to the PBS television series but it also stands on its own as a valuable source for teachers and students. The site is well-organized, and provides easy links to the introductory material of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's support) as well as the more specialized features on the museum's website. These hyperlinks make it easy to transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated worlds of research science. In particular, there are links to John Endler's experiments with Guppies that demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life on Earth has led to a wide variety of plants, animals, and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures within their geological context and has many advantages over the current observational and experimental methods of examining evolutionary processes. In addition to studying the processes and events that happen regularly or over a long period of time, paleobiology allows to examine the relative abundance of various species of organisms and their distribution across geological time.
The site is divided into several options to gain knowledge about evolution. One of these paths, "Evolution 101," takes the viewer through the evolution of nature and the evidence of evolution. The path also explores common misconceptions about evolution and the history of evolutionary thought.
Each of the other main sections of the Evolution site is similarly created, with resources that can be used to support a range of different pedagogical levels and curriculum levels. The site has a range of interactive and multimedia resources which include videos, animations, and virtual laboratories, in addition to its general textual content. The content is laid out in a nested bread crumb fashion that aids navigation and orientation within the vast web site.
The page "Coral Reef Connections" For instance, it gives a brief overview of the relationships between corals and interactions with other organisms and zooms in to one clam, which can communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in the conditions of the water at the reef level. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary, multimedia, and interactive pages on the site, provide an excellent introduction to a broad variety 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 method to understand evolutionary changes.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is a common thread that connects all branches of biology. A wide range of resources helps teachers teach about evolution across all life sciences.
One resource, the companion to PBS's TV series Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of a Web page that offers both depth as well as wide range of educational resources. The site offers a range of interactive learning modules. It also features an embedded "bread crumb" structure that allows students to move from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this huge site that are more closely tied to the world of research science. Animation that introduces the concept of genetics links to a page about John Endler's experiments with artificial selection using Guppies living in ponds native to Trinidad.
Another useful resource is the Evolution Library on this Web website, which includes an extensive collection of multimedia items that are related to evolution. The content is organized according to curriculum-based paths that parallel the learning goals established in the biology standards. It contains seven videos specifically designed for use in classrooms, and can be streamed for free or purchased on DVD.
Evolutionary biology is still a field of study that has many important questions, including the causes of evolution and how fast it takes place. This is particularly relevant for the evolution of humans where it was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that humans have a distinct position in the universe and a soul with the notion that our physical traits were derived from the apes.
Additionally, there are a number of ways in which evolution could be triggered and natural selection is the most widely accepted theory. However, scientists also study other kinds of evolution, such as mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection, among others.
Although many scientific fields of study have a conflict with literal interpretations found in religious texts, evolution biology has been the subject of intense debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. Certain religions have embraced their beliefs with evolutionary biology, but others haven't.