Five Evolution Site Projects For Any Budget
Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts by biology educators, there are still a lot of misconceptions about evolution. People who have absorbed pop science nonsense often assume that biologists are saying they do not believe in evolution.
This site, which is a companion to the PBS series offers teachers with resources that promote evolution education and avoid the kinds of misconceptions that make it difficult to understand. It's organized in a nested "bread crumb" format for ease of navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complicated and challenging subject to teach effectively. It is often misunderstood by non-scientists, and even scientists are guilty of using an interpretation that is confusing the issue. This is especially relevant when discussing the definition of the words.
It is therefore crucial to define the terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website provides this in an easy and helpful manner. The website is a companion to the show that premiered in 2001, but it can also function as an independent resource. The content is presented in a nested manner that assists in 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 to other scientific concepts. The site then offers an overview of how the concept of evolution has been tested and verified. This information can be used to dispel myths that have been engendered by the creationists.
It is also possible to get a glossary of terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency for hereditary traits to become more adaptable to a specific environment. This is the result of natural selection. Organisms with more adaptable characteristics are more likely than those with less adaptable traits to survive and reproduce.
Common ancestor: The latest common ancestor of two or more species. By studying the DNA of these species, it is possible to determine the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A large biological molecule that contains the information needed for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotides arranged in sequences that are strung together into long chains, called chromosomes. Mutations are responsible for the creation of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution is a relation between two species, where the evolutionary changes of one species are influenced evolutionary changes of the other. Coevolution can be seen in the interaction of predator and prey, or parasites and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals that can interbreed) evolve through a series of natural changes in the characteristics of their offspring. The changes can be triggered by a variety of causes that include natural selection, genetic drift and mixing of gene pools. The evolution of new species could take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, like climate change or competition for food resources and habitat, can slow or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site follows the emergence of various species of plants and animals, focusing on major transitions in each group's history. It also focuses on human evolution as a subject of particular importance to students.
When Darwin wrote the Origin in 1859, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been found. The most famous among them was the skullcap and the associated bones discovered in 1856 at the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany, which is now known as an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is unlikely that Darwin was aware of the skullcap, which was published in 1858, which was a year after the publication of the first edition of The Origin.
The site is mostly an online biology resource, but it also contains many details on geology and paleontology. The site offers a number of aspects that are quite impressive, such as an overview of how climate and geological conditions have changed over time. It also has a map showing the distribution of fossil groups.
Although the site is a companion piece to the PBS television series, it also stands on its own as an excellent source for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and provides easy links to the introductory information of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's assistance) as well as the more specialized features of the museum website. These hyperlinks facilitate the move from the cartoon-like style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. Particularly there are hyperlinks to John Endler's experiments using 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 is the study of these creatures within their geographical context and offers numerous advantages over the modern observational and research methods of examining evolutionary processes. Paleobiology can examine not only processes and events that happen regularly or over time, but also the distribution and frequency of various animal groups in space over the course of the geological time.
The site is divided up into several 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 thinking.
Each of the main sections of the Evolution website is equally well-designed, with materials that can be used to support a variety of levels of curriculum and teaching methods. The site has a range of interactive and multimedia resources which include videos, animations, and virtual laboratories as well as 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 example, gives a brief overview of the coral's relationships, their interaction with other organisms and zooms in on one clam, which can communicate with its neighbors and react to changes in conditions of the water that occur at the reef level. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary multimedia and interactive pages, offers a great introduction to many topics in evolutionary biology. The material also provides a discussion of the role of natural selection as well as the concept of phylogenetic analysis which is a key tool in understanding evolutionary changes.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is an underlying thread that is found throughout all branches of biology. A vast collection of resources helps teachers teach about evolution across the life sciences.
One resource, which is a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an excellent example of a Web site that offers both depth and a variety of educational resources. The site offers a variety of interactive learning modules. It also features a "bread crumb structure" that allows students to move away from the cartoon-like style that is used in Understanding Evolution and onto elements of this vast website that are closely linked to the realms of research science. Animation that introduces the concept of genetics, which links to a page that highlights John Endler's artificial-selection experiments with Guppies living in ponds native to Trinidad.
Another useful resource is the Evolution Library on this web site, which contains an extensive library of multimedia items that are related to evolution. The contents are organized into curriculum-based paths that parallel the learning objectives outlined in biology standards. It includes seven short videos that are intended for use in the classroom. These can be streamed or purchased as DVDs.
Evolutionary biology is an area of study with a lot of important questions, such as the causes of evolution and the speed at which it takes place. 에볼루션 바카라사이트 is particularly true in the case of human evolution which was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humanity has a unique place in the creation and a soul with the notion that our physical traits evolved from apes.
There are a variety of other ways in which evolution can take place including natural selection, which is the most popular theory. However scientists also study other kinds of evolution, such as mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection, among others.
While many fields of scientific study are in conflict with literal interpretations in religious texts, the concept of evolution biology has been a source of intense controversy and opposition from religious fundamentalists. Certain religions have embraced their beliefs with evolution, while others haven't.