Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, there are still a lot of misconceptions about evolution. People who have been exposed to the nonsense of pop science often believe that biologists are saying they do not believe in evolution.
This rich Web site, which is a complement to the PBS program that provides teachers with resources that support the evolution of education while avoiding the types of misconceptions which hinder it. It's organized in a nested "bread crumb" format for ease of navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complicated and difficult subject matter to teach well. People who are not scientists often have a difficult time understanding the subject and some scientists use a definition that confuses it. This is especially true when it comes to discussions on the definition of the word itself.
It is important to define terms used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website provides this in a simple and efficient way. The site is both a companion for the 2001 series, and also a resource of its own. The content is presented in a nested fashion which aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms like common ancestor and the gradual process. These terms help frame the nature of evolution and its relationship to other scientific concepts. The site then offers an overview of how the concept of evolution has been vetted and confirmed. This information can be used to dispel myths that have been created by the creationists.
You can also consult a glossary that contains terms that are used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
The process of adaptation is the tendency of heritable traits to become more suited to the environment. This is the result of natural selection. Organisms that have better-adapted traits are more likely than those with less adapted characteristics to survive and reproduce.
Common ancestor (also known as common ancestor) is the most recent ancestor shared by two or more species. By analyzing the DNA from these species, it is possible to identify the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A large biological molecule that contains information necessary for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences, which are strung into long chains known as chromosomes. Mutations are the basis for new genetic information in cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species in which evolutionary changes in one species are dependent on evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution is evident through the interaction between predator and prey, or parasites and hosts.
에볼루션 코리아 (groups that can interbreed) develop by a series of natural variations in their offspring's traits. The changes can be caused by a variety that include natural selection, genetic drift, and gene pool mixing. The development of a new species could take thousands of years and the process may be slowed down or speeded up by environmental conditions such as climate change or the competition for food or habitat.
에볼루션 through time the evolution of different groups of animals and plants with a focus on major changes within each group's past. It also explores the human evolutionary roots which is crucial for students to comprehend.
Darwin's Origin was written in 1859, when only a handful of antediluvian fossils of human beings had been discovered. The famous skullcap, with the bones associated with it, 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 when it was published in 1858, a year after the publication of the first edition of The Origin. Origin.
The site is mostly a biology site however it also includes many details on paleontology and geology. The site offers numerous features that are particularly impressive, such as the timeline of how climate and geological conditions have changed over the course of time. It also includes maps that show the locations of fossil groups.
While the site is a companion piece to a PBS television series, 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 information of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's assistance) and the more specialized features of the museum website. These hyperlinks facilitate the move from the engaging cartoon style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. In particular there are hyperlinks to John Endler's experiments using guppies that illustrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life has produced an array of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures within their natural environment and has numerous advantages over modern observational and experimental methods of examining evolutionary processes. Paleobiology focuses on not only the process and events that occur regularly or over time but also the relative abundance and distribution of different species of animals in space over the course of the geological time.
The website is divided into a variety of paths to learning evolution that include "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a liner path through the nature of science and the evidence that supports the theory of evolution. The course also focuses on misconceptions about evolution as well as the history of evolutionary thinking.
Each of the other major sections of the Evolution site is equally well constructed, with materials that can be used to support a range of educational levels and pedagogical styles. In addition to general textual content, the site offers an extensive selection of multimedia and interactive resources like videos, animations, and virtual labs. The breadcrumb-like arrangement of the content helps with navigation and orientation on the vast Web site.
For instance the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides an overview of coral relationships and their interaction with other organisms. Then, it narrows down to a single clam that is able to communicate with its neighbors and react to changes in water conditions that take place at the reef level. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary interactive and multimedia pages, gives a good introduction to many topics in evolutionary biology. The material also provides an overview of the importance of natural selection as well as the concept of phylogenetic analysis which is a crucial method to understand evolutionary change.
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.
Full Content , which is the companion to PBS's TV series Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of a Web site that provides depth and wide range of educational resources. The site offers a range of interactive learning modules. It also has a "bread crumb structure" that allows students to move away from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution and onto elements on this site that are more closely related to the fields of research science. For example an animation that explains the idea of genetic inheritance connects to a page that highlights John Endler's experiments in artificial selection with guppies from the native ponds of Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website contains a large multimedia library of materials that deal to evolution. The content is organized into courses that are based on curriculum and follow the learning objectives outlined in biology standards. It contains seven short videos designed for classroom use. They can be viewed online or purchased as DVDs.
A variety of crucial questions remain at the heart of evolutionary biology, including what triggers evolution and the speed at which it occurs. This is particularly true in the case of human evolution which was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that humanity has a unique position in the universe and a soul with the idea that innate physical traits evolved from Apes.
There are also a number of other ways evolution can take place, with natural selection as the most popular theory. Scientists also study other types such as mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection.
While many scientific fields of inquiry have a conflict with literal interpretations of the Bible evolutionary biology has been the subject of fierce debate and opposition from religious fundamentalists. While some religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the ideas of evolution, other religions have not.