Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution

Despite the best efforts of biology teachers, there are still misconceptions about evolution. People who have taken in the nonsense of pop science often believe that biologists claim they don't believe in evolution.

This rich Web site, which is a complement to the PBS program offers teachers resources that promote evolution education while avoiding the types of misconceptions that can make it difficult to understand. It's arranged in a nested "bread crumb" format to facilitate navigation and orientation.

Definitions

Evolution is a complicated and difficult subject to teach effectively. It is often misunderstood by non-scientists and even scientists are guilty of using a definition that confuses the issue. This is especially true when discussing the definition of the words.

As such, it is essential to define terms that are used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a simple and efficient way. The site serves as a companion for the 2001 series, but also a resource on its own. The material is presented in a nested fashion that assists in navigation and orientation.

The site defines terms such as common ancestor, gradual process and so on. These terms help to define the nature of evolution and its relationship to evolution with other scientific concepts. The site gives a comprehensive overview of the ways the concept of evolution has been examined. This information can be used to dispel the myths that have been propagated by the creationists.

It is also possible to get the glossary of terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:

Adaptation: The tendency for heritable traits to become better suitable to a particular setting. This is a result of natural selection. Organisms with better-adapted characteristics are more likely than those with less-adapted traits to survive and reproduce.

Common ancestor: The most recent common ancestor of two or more different species. The common ancestor can be identified through analyzing the DNA of the species.

Deoxyribonucleic acid: A massive biological molecule that contains information needed for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences, which are strung into long chains, referred to as chromosomes. Mutations are responsible for the creation of new genetic information inside cells.

Coevolution is a relationship between two species, where the evolutionary changes of one species influence evolutionary changes of the other. Coevolution is evident through the interaction between predator and prey, or 에볼루션 블랙잭 parasite and hosts.

Origins

Species (groups that can interbreed) change through a series natural changes in the traits of their offspring. Changes can be caused by numerous factors, like natural selection, gene drift, and mixing of the gene pool. The development of a new species may take thousands of years, and the process could be slowed down or accelerated by environmental conditions such as climate change or the competition for food or 에볼루션 블랙잭 (Fewpal.Com) habitat.

The Evolution site tracks the evolution of a number of different species of plants and animals over time, focusing on the major transitions that occurred in each group's history. It also examines the evolution of humans and is a subject of particular importance for students.

When Darwin wrote the Origin, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been found. The famous skullcap, along with the bones associated with it were discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now regarded as an early Homo neanderthalensis. Although the skullcap was not published until 1858, which was a year before the first edition of the Origin was published, it is extremely unlikely that Darwin had heard or seen of it.

The site is primarily a biology site however it also includes lots of information about paleontology and geology. The Web site has several aspects that are quite impressive, including the timeline of the way that climate and geological conditions have changed over the course of time. It also includes maps that show the locations of fossil groups.

Although the site is a companion to the PBS television series, it also stands on its own as an excellent resource for teachers and students. The site is extremely well organized and provides clear links between the introduction content in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more specific components of the museum's Web site. These hyperlinks make it easier to move from the cartoon-style Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated worlds of research science. There are links to John Endler’s experiments with guppies, which demonstrate 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 within their geological context and has many advantages over modern observational and experimental methods in its exploration of evolutionary phenomena. Paleobiology can examine not only processes and events that occur frequently or over time, but also the relative abundance and distribution of various animal groups in space throughout geological time.

The site is divided into several routes that can be taken to learn 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 as well as the evolution theory's history.

Each of the other main sections of the Evolution site is similarly created, 에볼루션 슬롯 (Theflatearth.Win) with resources that can support a variety of educational levels and pedagogical styles. In addition to the general textual content, the site offers an extensive selection of multimedia and interactive resources including videos, animations and virtual laboratories. The breadcrumb-like organization of the content assists with navigation and orientation on the large web site.

For example, the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides an overview of the relationships between corals and their interactions with other organisms, then concentrates on a specific clam that is able to communicate with its neighbors and react to changes in the water conditions that occur at the reef level. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary, multimedia and interactive pages on the website, provide an excellent introduction to a broad spectrum of topics in evolutionary biology. The information also includes an explanation of the role of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetic analysis which is an important method to understand evolutionary changes.

Evolutionary Theory

Evolution is an underlying thread that runs through all branches of biology. A wide range of resources supports teaching about evolution across all life sciences.

One resource, a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an excellent example of a Web site that provides depth and breadth in its 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 used in Understanding Evolution and onto elements on this large website more closely linked to the fields of research science. Animation that introduces the concept of genetics links to a page about John Endler's experiments in artificial selection using Guppies living in ponds native to Trinidad.

Another useful resource is the Evolution Library on this site, which has an extensive library of multimedia assets that are related to evolution. The content is organized in curricula-based paths that correspond to the learning objectives outlined in the standards for biology. It includes seven short videos designed specifically for use in the classroom, and can be streamed for free or purchased on DVD.

A number of important questions remain in the midst of evolutionary biology, including what triggers evolution and how fast it happens. This is particularly relevant in the case of human evolution, where it was difficult to reconcile religious beliefs that humanity has a special place in creation and a soul, with the idea that innate physical traits originated from Apes.

Additionally there are a variety of ways that evolution can be triggered with natural selection being the most popular theory. However scientists also study other types of evolution such as mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection, among others.

While many scientific fields of inquiry have a conflict with literal interpretations of religious texts, evolutionary biology has been the subject of intense controversy and resistance from religious fundamentalists. Certain religions have reconciled their beliefs with evolutionary biology, while others haven't.