How To Determine If You're In The Right Place To Evolution Site
Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misconceptions about evolution remain. Pop science fiction has led a lot of people to think that biologists don't believe in evolution.
This site, which is a companion to the PBS series It provides teachers with materials that promote evolution education and avoid the kinds of misinformation that can make it difficult to understand. It's laid out in a "bread crumb" format to make navigation and orientation easier.
Definitions
Evolution is a complicated and difficult subject to teach well. People who are not scientists often have a difficult time understanding the subject, and some scientists even use a definition that confuses it. This is especially relevant when discussing the definition of the words.
As such, it is important to define terms that are used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a simple and efficient manner. The site serves as an accompaniment to the 2001 series, and also a resource of its own. The material is presented in a nested fashion that aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms like common ancestor, gradual process, and adaptation. 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 manner in which evolution has been examined. This information can help dispel myths created by creationists.
It is also possible to find the glossary of terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation is the tendency of heritable traits to be more suited to the environment. This is the result of natural selection, which happens when organisms with better-adapted traits are more likely survive and reproduce than those with less adapted traits.
Common ancestor: The latest common ancestor of two or more different species. The common ancestor can be identified through analyzing the DNA of the species.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A large biological molecular containing the information required for cell replication. The information is contained in sequences of nucleotides that are strung together to form long chains, referred to as chromosomes. Mutations are the basis for new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species in which evolutionary changes in one species are affected by changes in evolutionary processes in the other. Examples of coevolution include the interaction between predator and prey, or parasite and host.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals who can interbreed) develop through a series of 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 evolution of new species could take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, such as climate changes or competition for food and habitat can slow or speed up the process.
The Evolution site tracks through time the evolution of different species of plants and animals, focusing on major transitions within each group's past. It also examines the evolution of humans as a subject of particular importance to students.
Darwin's Origin was written in 1859, when just a few antediluvian fossils of human beings had been discovered. The famous skullcap, along 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 highly unlikely that Darwin knew about the skullcap, which was published in 1858, which was a year after the first edition of The Origin. Origin.
The site is primarily an online biology resource however it also includes many details on paleontology and geology. One of the most appealing features of the website are a series of timelines that show how geological and climatic conditions have changed over time and a map of the distribution of a few fossil groups listed on the site.
Although the site is a companion piece to a PBS television show however, it can stand on its own as a valuable resource for teachers and students. The site is extremely well-organized and offers clear links between the introductory material in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more specific elements of the museum Web site. These hyperlinks make it easy to transition from the cartoon-style Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated realms of research science. 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 produced a diversity of animals, plants, and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures within their geological context, has many advantages over modern observational or experimental methods for exploring evolutionary phenomena. In addition to studying the processes and events that happen regularly or over a lengthy period of time, paleobiology allows to analyze the relative abundance of various kinds of organisms as well as their distribution throughout the geological time.
The site is divided up into several routes that can be taken to learn about evolution. One of these paths, "Evolution 101," takes the viewer through the complexities and evidence of evolution. The path also reveals common misconceptions about evolution and the evolution of thought.
Each of the main sections of the Evolution website is equally well-developed, with materials that can be used to support a variety of curriculum levels and teaching styles. In addition to general textual content, the site offers an extensive selection of interactive and multimedia resources including video clips, animations, and virtual laboratories. The content is organized in a nested, bread crumb fashion that aids navigation and orientation within the large web site.
For example the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides a comprehensive overview of coral relationships and their interaction with other organisms. It then zooms in on a single clam that is able to communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in water conditions at the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary, multimedia, and interactive pages on the site, provide an excellent introduction to a wide spectrum of topics in evolutionary biology. The material includes a discussion on the importance of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetics analysis as a key tool for understanding evolutionary changes.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is an underlying thread that is found throughout all branches of biology. 에볼루션 룰렛 of resources helps teachers teach about evolution across all life sciences.
One resource, which is a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an exceptional example of a Web site that offers both the depth and breadth of its educational resources. The site offers a variety of interactive learning modules. It also has an encased "bread crumb" structure that allows students to transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this large Web site more closely tied to the field of research science. Animation that introduces the concept of genetics, which links to a page about John Endler's experiments with artificial selection using Guppies living in ponds native to Trinidad.
Another resource that is worth mentioning is the Evolution Library on this website, which includes an extensive library of multimedia items connected to evolution. The contents are organized into courses that are based on curriculum and follow the learning goals established in biology standards. It contains seven videos designed for classroom use. These can be viewed online or purchased as DVDs.
Many important questions remain at the heart of evolutionary biology, including what triggers evolution and how fast it happens. This is especially true for humans' evolution, where it was difficult to reconcile religious beliefs that humanity has a special place in the creation and a soul with the notion that human beings have innate physical traits originated from Apes.
There are a myriad of other ways in which evolution can occur including natural selection, which is the most popular theory. However scientists also study other kinds of evolution like mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection, among other things.
Many fields of inquiry have a conflict with literal interpretations of the Bible, evolutionary biology has been the subject of particularly intense controversy and resistance from religious fundamentalists. Certain religions have reconciled their beliefs with evolution, while others haven't.