Why Evolution Site Is More Dangerous Than You Realized
Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology teachers, misinformation about evolution remain. Pop science nonsense has led people to think that biologists don't believe in evolution.
This rich Web site - companion to the PBS series - provides teachers with materials which support evolution education and avoids the kinds of myths that make it difficult to understand. It's organized in the "bread crumb" format to facilitate navigation and orientation.
Definitions
It's not easy to properly teach evolution. It is often misunderstood by non-scientists and even some scientists use a definition that confuses the issue. This is particularly relevant when it comes to the nature of the words themselves.
It is therefore important to define the terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website provides this in a straightforward and useful way. The site is both an accompaniment to the 2001 series, but also a resource of its own. The material is presented in a nested manner that assists in navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor and the gradual process. These terms help to define the nature of evolution and its relationship to evolution with other scientific concepts. The website then provides an overview of how the concept of evolution has been vetted and confirmed. This information can be used to dispel myths that have been engendered by the creationists.
It is also possible to find a glossary of terms that are used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
The process of adaptation is the tendency of hereditary traits to become more suitable to their environment. This is due to natural selection. It occurs when organisms with better-adapted traits are more likely survive and reproduce than those with less adapted characteristics.
Common ancestor: The most recent common ancestor of two or more different species. The common ancestor can be identified by studying the DNA of these species.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A large biological molecule that holds the information required for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences, which are strung into long chains known as chromosomes. Mutations are the cause of new genetic information in cells.
Coevolution: A relationship between two species in which evolutionary changes in one species are influenced by evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution can be observed in the interaction of predator and prey, or parasite and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups which can interbreed) develop through a series of natural changes in their offspring's traits. The changes can be caused by a variety of causes that include natural selection, genetic drift and mixing of genes. The evolution of new species could take thousands of years. Environmental circumstances, such as climate changes or competition for food resources and habitat can slow or speed up the process.
The Evolution site traces through time the evolution of various animal and plant groups, focusing on major transitions in each group's past. It also explores human evolution as a subject that is particularly important for students.
Darwin's Origin was published in 1859, at a time when only a few antediluvian fossils of human beings 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 regarded as an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is unlikely that Darwin knew about the skullcap when it was published in 1858, which was a year after 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 aspects that are quite impressive, including the timeline of how geological and climate conditions have changed over the course of time. It also features maps that show the locations of fossil groups.
The site is a companion for a PBS TV series but it can be used as a resource for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and offers clear links to the introduction material of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's funding) as well as the more specialized features of the museum's website. These hyperlinks make it easier to move from the cartoon-style Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated realms of research science. There are also links to John Endler's experiments with guppies. They illustrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life on Earth has produced a diversity of animals, plants, and insects. Paleobiology, the study of these creatures within their geological context is a superior method of study over modern observational or experimental methods of studying evolutionary processes. Paleobiology can examine not just the processes and events that happen regularly or over time but also the distribution and frequency of different groups of animals in space over the course of the geological time.
The Web site is divided into a variety of paths to learning evolution which include "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a liner path through the science of nature and the evidence that supports the theory of evolution. The course also focuses on misconceptions regarding evolution, and the background of evolutionary thinking.
Each of the main sections on the Evolution website is equally well-developed, with materials that support a variety educational levels and teaching styles. In addition to the general textual content, the site features an extensive selection of interactive and multimedia resources including videos, animations and virtual laboratories. The content is presented in a nested bread crumb fashion that aids navigation and orientation on the Web site.
The page "Coral Reef Connections" For instance, it provides a comprehensive overview of the coral's relationships and interactions with other organisms, and then zooms in to one clam that is able communicate with its neighbours and respond to changes in the water conditions that occur on the reef level. 에볼루션 바카라 무료 , as well as the other multidisciplinary interactive and multimedia pages gives a good introduction to a variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The material also provides a discussion of the role of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetic analysis which is an important tool in understanding evolutionary change.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students evolution is a crucial thread that weaves together all branches of the field. A wide selection of resources helps teachers teach evolution across the disciplines of life sciences.
One resource, a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an outstanding example of an Web site that provides depth and a variety of educational resources. The site has a wide array of interactive learning modules. It also features a "bread crumb structure" that helps students 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. For instance an animation that introduces the idea of genetic inheritance connects to a page that highlights John Endler's experiments with artificial selection with guppies from the native ponds of Trinidad.
Another resource that is worth mentioning is the Evolution Library on this Web site, which contains an extensive library of multimedia items connected to evolution. The content is organized into the form of curriculum-based pathways that are in line with the learning objectives set out in the biology standards. It includes seven short videos designed specifically for use in the classroom, and can be streamed for no cost or purchased on DVD.
A variety of crucial questions remain at the heart of evolutionary biology, including what causes evolution to occur and the speed at which it occurs. This is particularly true for humans' evolution where it was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humans have a distinct place in the creation and a soul, with the idea that innate physical traits were derived from Apes.
Additionally there are a myriad of ways that evolution could occur, with natural selection being the most widely accepted theory. However, scientists also study other kinds of evolution like mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection, among others.
While many scientific fields of inquiry conflict with literal interpretations of the Bible, evolutionary biology has been the subject of controversial debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the theories of evolution, other religions aren't.