Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts by biology teachers, there are still misconceptions about the evolution. People who have taken in pop science nonsense often assume that biologists are saying they don't believe in evolution.
This rich website - companion to the PBS series - provides teachers with materials that promote evolution education and avoids the kinds of misinformation that can hinder it. It's laid out in the "bread crumb" format to aid in navigation and orientation.
에볼루션카지노 evolutionkr.kr 's not easy to effectively teach evolution. It is often misunderstood by non-scientists and even some scientists have been guilty of using an interpretation that is confusing the issue. This is especially relevant when it comes to the definition of the words.
As such, it is important to define terms used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website does this in a straightforward and useful way. The site is both an accompanying site for the 2001 series, but it is also a resource on its own. The material is presented in an organized way that makes it easy to navigate and understand.
The site defines terms like common ancestor and the gradual process. These terms help frame the nature of evolution and its relationship to evolution with other scientific concepts. The site provides an overview of the way the concept of evolution has been tested. This information will help to dispel the myths created by creationists.
You can also access a glossary which includes terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency of hereditary traits to become more suitable to a particular setting. This is due to natural selection. It occurs when organisms with better-adapted characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adaptable characteristics.
Common ancestor (also called common ancestor): The most recent ancestral ancestor shared by two or more species. By analyzing DNA from these species it is possible to identify the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A massive biological molecule that contains the information required for cell replication. The information is contained in nucleotides arranged in sequences that are strung together into long chains, called chromosomes. Mutations are the source of new genetic information in cells.
Coevolution is the relationship between two species, where the evolutionary changes of one species are influenced evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution can be seen in the interaction of predator and prey, or parasites and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals that are able to interbreed) develop through an array of natural changes in the traits of their offspring. The changes can be caused by a variety, including natural selection, genetic drift and mixing of genes. The evolution of new species could take thousands of years. Environmental circumstances, such as changes in the climate or competition for food or habitat can impede or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site tracks the development of various groups of animals and plants over time, focusing on the major changes that took place in each group's history. It also explores the evolutionary origin of humans which is particularly important for students to comprehend.
Darwin's Origin was published in 1859, when just a handful of antediluvian fossils of human beings had been discovered. The most famous among them was the skullcap and associated bones found in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany which is now believed to be an early Homo neanderthalensis. While the skullcap wasn't published until 1858, one year before the first edition of the Origin was published, it's very unlikely that Darwin had heard or seen of it.
The site is primarily a biology site, but it also contains a lot of information on paleontology and geology. The Web site has several aspects that are quite impressive, including the timeline of how geological and climate conditions have changed over the course of time. It also features an interactive map that shows the location of fossil groups.
While the site is a companion to the PBS television series, it also stands on its own as a valuable source for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and offers clear links to the introduction material of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's support) as well as the more specialized features of the museum's website. These links facilitate the transition from the engaging cartoon style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. There are links to John Endler’s experiments with guppies that illustrate the importance ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life on Earth has led to a wide variety of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures in their geological environment, has many advantages over modern observational or experimental methods of studying evolutionary processes. In addition to examining processes and events that occur regularly or over a lengthy period of time, paleobiology can be used to examine the diversity of kinds of organisms as well as their distribution throughout geological time.
The website is divided into a variety of paths to learning evolution which include "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a line through the science of nature and the evidence supporting the theory of evolution. The course also focuses on common misconceptions about evolution as well as the history of evolutionary thought.
Each of the main sections on the Evolution website is equally well-developed, and includes materials that support a variety curriculum levels and teaching styles. The site has a range of multimedia and interactive resources which include video clips, animations and virtual labs as well as general textual content. The content is organized in a nested, bread crumb-like fashion that helps with 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, then zooms in on a single clam that is able to communicate with its neighbours and respond to changes in water conditions that occur at the level of the reef. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary interactive and multimedia pages, gives a good introduction to many topics in evolutionary biology. The content also includes a discussion on the importance of natural selection and the concept phylogenetics analysis as a key method for understanding the evolution of changes.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students evolution is a crucial thread that connects all branches of the field. A vast collection of books helps in teaching evolution across the life science disciplines.
One resource, which is the companion to PBS's television show Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of a Web page that offers both the depth and the breadth in terms of its educational resources. The site offers a range of interactive learning modules. It also features an "bread crumb structure" that allows students to move away from the cartoon style that is used in Understanding Evolution and onto elements on this large website more closely linked to the fields of research science. For example an animation that introduces the notion of genetic inheritance leads to a page that highlights John Endler's experiments in artificial selection with guppies from the native ponds of Trinidad.
Another useful resource is the Evolution Library on this web site, which has an extensive library of multimedia resources that are related to evolution. The contents are organized into curriculum-based paths that parallel the learning objectives set out in the biology standards. It includes seven short videos designed specifically for classroom use, which can be streamed at no cost or purchased on DVD.
A number of important questions remain in the midst of evolutionary biology, including what causes evolution to occur and how fast it occurs. This is especially true for human evolution, where it's been difficult to reconcile the notion that the physical traits of humans evolved from apes, and the religious beliefs that hold that humanity is unique among living things and has an enviable place in creation, with a soul.
There are a variety of other ways evolution can occur, with natural selection as the most well-known theory. Scientists also study different types like mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection.
While many fields of scientific study are in conflict with literal interpretations in religious texts, the concept of evolution biology has been the subject of intense debate and opposition from religious fundamentalists. Certain religions have reconciled their beliefs to evolution while others haven't.