Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts by biology teachers, there are still misconceptions about evolution. Pop science nonsense has led many people to believe that biologists don't believe evolution.
This site, which is a companion to the PBS series - provides teachers with materials which support evolution education and avoids the kinds of misinformation that can undermine it. It's arranged in a nested "bread crumb" format to make it easy for navigation and orientation.
Definitions
It's difficult to teach evolution well. 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 true when it comes to debates about the nature of the word.
It is therefore important to define the terms used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website does this in an easy and helpful way. The site serves as an accompanying site for the 2001 series, but it is also a resource on its own. The material is presented in a structured way that makes it easy to navigate and understand.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor (or common ancestor), gradual process, and adaptation. These terms help to define 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 vetted and verified. This information can help dispel myths that are created by the creationists.
You can also consult a glossary that contains terms that are used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation is the process of changing hereditary traits to become more suitable to their environment. This is a result of natural selection. Organisms with better-adapted traits are more likely than those with less adaptable traits to reproduce and survive.
Common ancestor (also called common ancestor) is the most recent ancestral ancestor shared by two or more species. The common ancestor can be identified through analyzing the DNA of the species.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A large biological molecular that contains the necessary information for cell replication. The information is stored in sequences of nucleotides that are strung together into long chains, called chromosomes. Mutations are responsible for the creation of new genetic information inside cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species where evolutionary changes in one species are dependent on evolutionary changes in the other. Examples of coevolution include the interactions between predator and prey or host and parasite.
Origins
Species (groups which can interbreed) change by a series of natural variations in their offspring's traits. The changes can be triggered by a variety, including natural selection, genetic drift and gene pool mixing. The development of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental circumstances, such as climate change or competition for food resources and habitat can impede or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site tracks through time the emergence of various groups of animals and plants and focuses on major changes within each group's past. It also examines the evolution of humans, which is a topic that is particularly important to students.
When Darwin wrote the Origin, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been found. One of them was the infamous skullcap and associated bones found in 1856 at the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany which is now believed to be an early Homo neanderthalensis. Although the skullcap was not published until 1858, just one year before the first edition of the Origin was published, it is very unlikely that Darwin had seen or heard of it.
The site is primarily a biology site, but it also contains many details on geology and paleontology. The site offers a number of features that are particularly impressive, including a timeline of how climate and geological conditions have changed over time. It also features an interactive map that shows the location of fossil groups.
The site is a companion to the PBS television series, but it could be used as a source 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 sophisticated components of the museum's Web site. These links make it easier to move from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated realms 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 resulted in a variety of plants, animals, and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures in their geological environment is a superior method of study over modern observational or research methods of studying evolutionary processes. Paleobiology focuses on not only processes and events that happen regularly or over time but also the relative abundance and distribution of different groups of animals in space throughout the geological time.
The website is divided into various paths that can be chosen to study the subject of evolution. One of the paths, "Evolution 101," takes the viewer through the complexities and evidence of evolution. The path also explores misconceptions about evolution as well as the history of evolutionary thought.
Each of the main sections of the Evolution website is equally well-designed, with materials that can be used to support a variety of curriculum levels and teaching styles. The site has a range of multimedia and interactive resources, including animations, video clips and virtual labs, in addition to its general textual content. The breadcrumb-like arrangement of the content helps with navigation and orientation on the massive Web site.
The page "Coral Reef Connections" For instance, it provides a comprehensive overview of coral relationships and interactions with other organisms, and then zooms in to a single clam, which can communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in conditions of the water at the reef level. 에볼루션사이트 , 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 content also includes a discussion of the role of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetic analysis which is an important tool for understanding the evolution of changes.
에볼루션사이트 is a common thread that is found throughout all branches of biology. A rich collection of resources helps teachers teach about evolution across the life sciences.
One resource, the companion to PBS's TV series Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of an Web site that provides depth as well as broadness in terms of educational resources. The site offers a variety of interactive learning modules. It also features a nested "bread crumb" structure that helps students transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this huge site that are closer to the world of research science. An animation that introduces the concept of genetics is linked to a page highlighting John Endler's experiments with artificial selection using Guppies living in ponds native to Trinidad.
Another useful resource is the Evolution Library on this site, which contains an extensive collection of multimedia items related to evolution. The content is organized in the form of curriculum-based pathways that are in line with the learning objectives set out in biology standards. It includes seven short videos designed for use in classrooms. They can be viewed online or purchased as DVDs.
A variety of crucial questions remain at the core of evolutionary biology, including what triggers evolution and how fast it occurs. This is particularly true for humans' evolution, where it was difficult to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humans have a distinct place in creation and a soul with the notion that human beings have innate physical traits evolved from apes.
In addition there are a myriad of ways that evolution could be triggered with natural selection being the most widely accepted theory. Scientists also study other types such as genetic drift and sexual selection.
Although many scientific fields of study are in conflict with literal interpretations found in religious texts, evolution biology has been the subject of intense controversy and opposition from religious fundamentalists. While some religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the theories of evolution, others aren't.