Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misconceptions persist regarding evolution. People who have taken in pop science nonsense often assume that biologists are saying they don't believe in evolution.
This site, which is a companion to the PBS program offers teachers resources that support the evolution of education while avoiding the types of misconceptions which make it difficult to understand. It's organized in a "bread crumb" format to make navigation and orientation easier.
Read Significantly more is a complex and difficult subject to teach effectively. People who are not scientists often have a difficult time understanding the subject and some scientists employ a definition that confuses it. This is particularly true when discussing the meaning of the words themselves.
It is therefore important to define the terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website provides this in a simple and efficient manner. The site is both an accompaniment to the 2001 series, but also a resource on its own. The material is organized in a manner that makes it easier to navigate and understand.
The site defines terms like common ancestor, gradual process and so on. These terms help frame the nature of evolution as well as its relation to other scientific concepts. The website then provides an overview of how the concept of evolution has been researched and verified. This information can help dispel the myths that are created by the creationists.
It is also possible to get the glossary of terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency of heritable traits to become better suitable to a particular setting. This is due to natural selection. It occurs when organisms that have better adapted traits are more likely survive and reproduce than those with less adaptable traits.
Common ancestor (also called common ancestor): The most recent ancestor that is shared by two or more species. By analyzing the DNA from these species, it is possible to determine the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A massive biological molecule that holds the information required for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences that are strung into long chains, referred to as chromosomes. Mutations are the basis for new genetic information in 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 interaction of predator and prey, or parasite and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals that can interbreed) evolve through a series of natural changes in the traits of their offspring. The causes of these changes are numerous factors, like natural selection, gene drift and mixing of the gene pool. The development of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, such as climate changes or competition for food or habitat can slow or speed up the process.
The Evolution site traces the emergence of various animal and plant groups through time with a focus on the key transitions that occurred in the history of each group. It also focuses on human evolution, which is a topic of particular importance to students.
Darwin's Origin was written in 1859, at a time when only a few antediluvian fossils of human beings had been discovered. The most famous among them was the skullcap and the associated bones discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany, which is now known as an early Homo neanderthalensis. While the skullcap wasn't published until 1858, which was one year before the first edition of the Origin appeared, it is very unlikely that Darwin had heard or seen of it.
The site is mostly one of biology however it also includes a lot of information on geology and paleontology. The site offers several aspects that are quite impressive, such as a timeline of the way that climate and geological conditions have changed over the course of time. 에볼루션카지노사이트 features maps that show the locations of fossil groups.
While the site is a companion to a PBS television series however, it can stand on its own as an excellent source for teachers and students. The site is extremely well-organized and offers clear links between the introduction material in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more specific elements of the museum Web site. These hyperlinks facilitate the move from the engaging cartoon style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. Particularly there are links to John Endler's research with Guppies that demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life on Earth has resulted in a variety of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology, the study of these creatures in their geological environment offers many advantages over modern observational or research methods for exploring evolutionary processes. In addition to exploring the processes and events that happen regularly or over a lengthy period of time, paleobiology is able to study the diversity of species of organisms and their distribution in space over the geological time.
The site is divided up into different options to learn about evolution. One of these paths, "Evolution 101," guides the user through the evolution of nature and the evidence of evolution. The path also explores common misconceptions about evolution and the evolution of thought.
Each of the main sections of the Evolution website is equally well-developed, and includes materials that can be used to support a variety of educational levels and teaching styles. The site offers a wide array of multimedia and interactive resources which include animations, video clips and virtual labs in addition to general textual content. The content is organized in a nested, bread crumb fashion that aids navigation and orientation within the large web site.
The page "Coral Reef Connections" For instance, the page "Coral Reef Connections" gives a brief overview of the relationships between corals and interactions with other organisms, and then zooms in on one clam, which can communicate with its neighbours and respond to changes in water conditions that occur on the reef level. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary, multimedia and interactive pages on the website, provide an excellent introduction to a broad range of topics in evolutionary biology. The content also includes an explanation of the significance of natural selectivity and the concept of phylogenetics, an important tool for understanding evolutionary change.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students, evolution is a key thread that weaves together all branches of the field. A rich collection of resources supports teaching about evolution across all life sciences.
One resource, which is the companion to PBS's television show Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of an Web page that provides depth as well as wide range of educational resources. The site features a wealth of interactive learning modules. It also features an encased "bread crumb" structure that allows students to transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this large Web site closer to the world of research science. An animation that introduces the concept of genetics links to a page that highlights John Endler's experiments with artificial selection using guppies on native ponds in Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website contains a large multimedia library of assets related with evolution. The content is organized in the form of curriculum-based pathways that are in line with the learning objectives set out in the standards for biology. It contains seven videos specifically designed for use in classrooms. These are available to stream or purchase as DVDs.
Evolutionary biology is still an area of study that has many important questions to answer, such as what triggers evolution and the speed at which it occurs. This is particularly relevant for the evolution of humans where it was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that humans have a distinct place in the creation and a soul with the idea that innate physical traits evolved from Apes.
In addition, 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 such as genetic drift, and sexual selection.
While many scientific fields of study conflict with literal interpretations in religious texts, evolution biology has been a source of intense controversy and opposition from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have managed to reconcile their beliefs with the theories of evolution, other religions have not.