10 Evolution Site Tricks All Experts Recommend
Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology teachers, misinformation about evolution remain. 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 complement to the PBS program that provides teachers with resources that promote evolution education, while avoiding the kinds of misconceptions that hinder it. It's laid out in a "bread crumb" format to aid in navigation and orientation.
Definitions
It'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.
It is therefore crucial to define the terms that are used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a clear and helpful way. The site is both a companion for the 2001 series, and also a resource on its own. The material is presented in a nested manner which aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms like common ancestor, gradual process and adaptation. These terms help frame the nature and significance of evolution to other scientific concepts. The website then provides an overview of how the concept of evolution has been researched and confirmed. This information will help to dispel the myths that are created by the creationists.
It is also possible to find a glossary of terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation is the tendency of hereditary traits to become more suited to the environment. This is the result of natural selection. Organisms that have better-adapted characteristics are more likely than those with less adapted traits to survive and reproduce.
Common ancestor (also known as common ancestor) The most recent ancestor shared by two or more species. The common ancestor can be identified by analyzing the DNA of those species.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A large biological molecular containing the information needed for cell replication. The information is contained in a sequence of nucleotides that are strung together into long chains, referred to as chromosomes. Mutations are the reason behind the creation of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species in which the evolution of one species are influenced by evolutionary changes of the other. Examples of coevolution are the interactions between predator and prey, or the parasite and the host.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals that can interbreed) evolve through an array of natural changes in the characteristics of their offspring. The causes of these changes are many factors, such as natural selection, gene drift, and mixing of the gene pool. The evolution of a new species may take thousands of years, and the process could be slowed or increased by environmental factors like climate change or competition for food or habitat.
The Evolution site tracks the development of a number of different species of plants and animals over time, focusing on the major changes that took place in each group's history. It also examines the evolution of humans and is a subject that is of particular interest for students.
Darwin's Origin was published in 1859, when only a handful of antediluvian fossils of humans were discovered. Among them was the famous skullcap and bones that were discovered in 1856 at the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany which is now believed as an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is unlikely that Darwin was aware of the skullcap when it was published in 1858, a year after the publication of the first edition of The Origin. Origin.
While the site is focused on biology, it includes a good deal of information about geology and paleontology. The Web site has a number of features that are especially impressive, such as a timeline of the way that climate and geological conditions have changed over time. It also includes a map showing the distribution of fossil groups.
The site is a companion to the PBS television series, but it could also be used as an educational resource by teachers and students. The site is well-organized and provides clear links to the introductory material of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's support) and the more specialized features of the museum's website. These hyperlinks facilitate the move from the cartoon-like style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. There are links to John Endler's experiments with guppies, which illustrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life on Earth has led to a wide variety of plants, animals, and insects. 에볼루션 is the study of these creatures in their natural environment, has many advantages over modern observational or research methods for studying evolutionary phenomena. Paleobiology is able to study not only the process and events that take place regularly or over time but also the distribution and frequency of various animal groups across the geological time.
The website is divided into several options 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 reveals common misconceptions about evolution as well as the evolution of thought.
Each of the other main sections of the Evolution site is equally well developed, with materials that support a variety of different pedagogical levels and curriculum levels. In addition to the standard textual content, the site also has a wide range of multimedia and interactive content like videos, animations and virtual laboratories. The content is presented in a nested bread crumb fashion that aids navigation and orientation within the vast web site.
For instance, the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides a comprehensive overview of the relationships between corals and their interaction with other organisms. Then, it zooms in on a single clam that is able to communicate with its neighbors and react to changes in water conditions that take place at the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary, multimedia and interactive pages on the site, provide an excellent introduction to the broad variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The information also includes a discussion of the role of natural selection as well as the concept of phylogenetic analysis which is a key method to understand evolutionary changes.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is an underlying thread that is found throughout all branches of biology. A vast collection of books helps in teaching evolution across the disciplines of life science.
One resource, the companion to PBS's television series Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of a Web site that provides depth as well as wide range of educational resources. The site has a variety of interactive learning modules. It also features an "bread crumb structure" that helps students move away from the cartoon style that is used in Understanding Evolution and onto elements of this vast website that are closely connected to the worlds of research science. For instance an animation that explains the notion of genetic inheritance leads to a page highlighting John Endler's experiments in artificial selection using guppies in the ponds of his native country of Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website is a vast multimedia library of materials that deal to evolution. The contents are organized into curriculum-based paths that parallel the learning objectives outlined in biology standards. It contains seven videos designed specifically for classroom use, which can be streamed for free or purchased on DVD.
Evolutionary biology is a field of study that has many important questions, such as what triggers evolution and how quickly it occurs. This is particularly true in the case of human evolution which was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humans have a distinct place in creation and a soul, with the idea that innate physical traits evolved from apes.
Additionally there are a myriad of ways that evolution could occur and natural selection is the most widely accepted theory. Scientists also study other kinds like mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection.
Although many scientific fields of study have a conflict with literal interpretations in religious texts, evolution biology has been a subject of intense debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. Certain religions have embraced their beliefs to evolution while others haven't.