Why Everyone Is Talking About Evolution Site This Moment
Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts by biology teachers, there are still misconceptions regarding 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 - provides teachers with materials which support evolution education and avoid the kinds of myths that undermine it. It's organized in the "bread crumb" format to aid in navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complicated and difficult subject matter to teach effectively. People who are not scientists often have a difficult time understanding the subject and some scientists use a definition which confuses it. This is especially relevant when discussing the nature of the words themselves.
It is 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 useful manner. The website is a companion to the show that premiered in 2001, but is also an independent resource. The material is presented in an organized manner that makes it easier to navigate and comprehend.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor, gradual process and so on. These terms help to define the nature of evolution as well as its relation to other scientific concepts. The site provides an overview of the manner that evolution has been tested. This information can be used to dispel the myths that have been engendered by creationists.
You can also access a glossary which contains terms that are used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
The process of adaptation is the tendency of heritable traits to be more suited to the environment. This is the result of natural selection, which occurs when organisms that are better adapted traits are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adapted traits.
Common ancestor (also called common ancestor) The most recent ancestor that is shared by two or more species. The common ancestor can be identified through analyzing the DNA of those species.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A huge biological molecular that holds the information required for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences that are strung into long chains called chromosomes. Mutations are responsible for the creation of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution: A relationship between two species in which evolutionary changes in one species are influenced by evolutionary changes in the other. Examples of coevolution include the interaction between predator and prey, or parasite and host.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals that can interbreed) develop through an array of natural changes in the traits of their offspring. These changes are caused by a variety of causes, 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 the evolution of a number of different groups of animals and plants over time, focusing on the major shifts that occurred throughout the history of each group. It also examines the human evolutionary roots which is especially important for students to understand.
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 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany that is now thought as an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is highly unlikely that Darwin knew about the skullcap, which was published in 1858, a year after the first edition of The Origin.
While the site focuses on biology, it also offers a lot of information on geology and paleontology. The Web site has a number of features that are particularly impressive, including a timeline of how climate and geological conditions have changed over the course of time. It also features a map showing the distribution of fossil groups.
The site is a companion for a PBS TV series but it can be used as a source for teachers and students. The site is very well-organized and has clear links between the introduction information in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more sophisticated elements of the museum's web site. These hyperlinks make it easier to move from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated worlds of research science. Particularly there are hyperlinks to John Endler's experiments with guppies that illustrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life on Earth has produced a diversity of plants, animals, and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures within their natural environment, has many advantages over modern observational or research methods of studying evolutionary processes. Paleobiology is able to study not just the processes and events that take place regularly or over time but also the relative abundance and distribution of various animal groups in space over the course of geological time.
The site is divided up into several options to gain knowledge about evolution. One of these paths, "Evolution 101," takes the viewer through the evolution of nature and the evidence of evolution. The path also explores the most common misconceptions about evolution, as well as the evolution theory's history.
Each of the other major sections of the Evolution site is similarly developed, with materials that can support a variety of educational levels and pedagogical styles. In addition to the standard textual content, the site offers a wide range of multimedia and interactive resources like videos, animations, and virtual labs. The content is presented in a nested bread crumb-like fashion that helps with navigation and orientation on the Web site.
For click through the next site , the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides an overview of the relationships between corals and their interaction with other organisms. It then narrows down to a single clam that can communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in the water conditions at the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary interactive and multimedia pages offers a great introduction to many topics in evolutionary biology. The content also includes a discussion on the role of natural selectivity and the concept phylogenetics analysis which is a crucial tool to understand evolutionary 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 all disciplines of life sciences.
One resource, which is a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an exceptional example of a Web site that offers both depth and breadth in its educational resources. The site offers a range of interactive learning modules. It also features a "bread crumb structure" that allows students to move away from the cartoon style used in Understanding Evolution and onto elements of this vast website that are closely connected to the worlds of research science. Animation that introduces the concept of genetics, which links to a page that highlights John Endler's experiments with artificial selection using Guppies in native ponds in Trinidad.
Another resource that is worth mentioning is the Evolution Library on this site, which contains an extensive library of multimedia resources connected to evolution. The content is organized according to courses that are based on curriculum and follow the learning objectives outlined in the biology standards. It contains seven videos specifically designed for classroom use, which can be streamed for free or purchased on DVD.
Many important questions remain at the heart of evolutionary biology, such as the factors that trigger evolution and how fast it occurs. This is particularly relevant to human evolution, where it has been difficult to reconcile that the physical traits of humans evolved from apes and religious beliefs that claim that humans are unique among living things and holds a an exclusive place in the creation, with a soul.
There are a variety of other ways evolution could occur including natural selection, which is the most well-known theory. Scientists also study different types such as mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection.
While many fields of scientific study are in conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts, the concept of evolution biology has been a source of intense controversy and opposition from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have managed to reconcile their beliefs with the notions of evolution, others aren't.