The History Of Evolution Site In 10 Milestones
Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misconceptions about evolution remain. 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 It provides teachers with materials which support evolution education and avoid the kinds of misinformation that can make it difficult to understand. It's laid out in a nested "bread crumb" format for ease of navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complicated and difficult subject to teach effectively. 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 applicable to discussions about the definition of the word itself.
It is important to define 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, but also a resource of its own. The content is presented in an organized way that makes it easy to navigate and comprehend.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor, gradual process and adaptation. These terms help to define the nature of evolution and its relationship to evolution to other concepts in science. The website then provides an overview of how the concept of evolution has been vetted and confirmed. This information can be used to dispel the myths that have been engendered by the creationists.
It is also possible to find a glossary of terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
The process of adaptation is the tendency of heritable traits to be more suitable to their environment. This is a result of natural selection. Organisms with better-adapted characteristics are more likely than those with less-adapted traits to survive and reproduce.
Common ancestor (also called common ancestor) is the most recent ancestral ancestor shared by two or more species. The common ancestor can be identified by studying the DNA of the species.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A large biological molecule that holds the information required for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences that are strung into long chains known as chromosomes. Mutations are responsible for the creation of new genetic information inside cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species in which the evolutionary changes of one species are influenced by evolutionary changes of the other. Examples of coevolution include 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. These changes can be caused by various factors, including natural selection, gene drift, and mixing of the gene pool. The evolution of new species could take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, like climate changes or competition for food or habitat can impede or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site traces the emergence of various groups of animals and plants over time with a focus on the key transitions that occurred in each group's history. It also examines the evolution of humans, which is a topic that is of particular interest for students.
When Darwin wrote the Origin, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been discovered. The skullcap that is famous, along with the bones associated with it were discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now recognized as an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is highly unlikely that Darwin was aware of the skullcap when it was published in 1858, one year following the initial edition of The Origin. Origin.
While the site is focused on biology, it also offers a lot of information on geology and paleontology. The website has several features that are particularly impressive, including a timeline of how climate and geological conditions have changed over the course of time. It also has a map showing the distribution of fossil groups.
The site is a companion for the PBS TV series but it can also be used as a resource by teachers and students. The site is well-organized and provides clear links to the introductory information of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's assistance) and the more specific features of the museum's website. These hyperlinks 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 that illustrate 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 within their natural environment and has many advantages over the modern observational and research methods for analyzing evolutionary phenomena. Paleobiology can examine not only processes and events that happen regularly or over time but also the relative abundance and distribution of different species of animals across geological time.
The site is divided into a variety of ways to learn about evolution that include "Evolution 101," which takes the user on a linear path through the nature of science and the evidence supporting the theory of evolution. The course also focuses on the most common misconceptions about evolution, as well as the history of evolutionary thought.
Each of the other main sections of the Evolution site is similarly created, with resources that can support a variety of educational levels and pedagogical styles. In addition to the general textual content, the site also has an extensive selection of multimedia and interactive content, such as video clips, animations, and virtual laboratories. The content is presented in a nested bread crumb-like fashion that helps with navigation and orientation within the large Web site.
For instance the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides a comprehensive overview of coral relationships and their interactions with other organisms. Then, it concentrates on a specific clam that is able to communicate with its neighbours and respond to changes in water conditions that take place at the level of the reef. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary, multimedia and interactive pages on the website, provide an excellent introduction to a wide variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The information also includes an explanation of the role of natural selection as well as the concept of phylogenetic analysis which is an important tool for understanding the evolution of change.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is an underlying thread that runs through all branches of biology. A wide selection of resources helps teachers teach evolution across all disciplines of life sciences.
One resource, a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an outstanding example of an Web site that offers both depth and breadth in its educational resources. The site offers a range of interactive learning modules. It also has a "bread crumb structure" that helps students move away from the cartoon style used in Understanding Evolution and onto elements on this site that are more closely connected to the worlds of research science. An animation that introduces the concept of genetics is linked to a page that highlights John Endler's artificial-selection experiments with Guppies in native ponds in Trinidad.
에볼루션게이밍 is the Evolution Library on this site, which has an extensive multimedia library of resources that are related to evolution. The contents are organized into curriculum-based paths that parallel the learning goals established in the standards for biology. It includes seven short videos specifically designed for use in classrooms, and can be streamed for no cost or purchased on DVD.
Evolutionary biology remains an area of study that poses many important questions, such as what causes evolution and how quickly it takes place. This is especially true for humans' evolution, where it was difficult to reconcile religious beliefs that humanity has a special place in creation and a soul with the notion that human beings have innate physical traits originated from apes.
Additionally there are a myriad of ways that evolution could be triggered, with natural selection being the most popular theory. However scientists also study different kinds of evolution, such as genetic drift, mutation, and sexual selection, among others.
While many scientific fields of inquiry have a conflict with the literal interpretations of the Bible evolutionary biology has been the subject of particularly controversial debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have managed to reconcile their beliefs with the theories of evolution, others haven't.