Why Evolution Site Is Your Next Big Obsession
Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misinformation about evolution remain. People who have absorbed pop science nonsense often assume that biologists don't believe in evolution.
This site, which is a companion to the PBS series - provides teachers with materials that promote evolution education and help avoid the kinds of myths that make it difficult to understand. It's arranged in a nested "bread crumb" format to make it easy for navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complicated and challenging subject to teach effectively. It is often misunderstood even by non-scientists, and even scientists are guilty of using definitions that confuse the issue. This is especially true when it comes to discussions about the nature of the word.
It is therefore important to define the terms used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a clear and useful manner. The site is a companion to the show that premiered in 2001, but is also an independent resource. The material is presented in a nested fashion that aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor and the gradual process. These terms help define the nature of evolution and its relationship to evolution with other scientific concepts. The site also provides an overview of how the concept of evolution has been tested and validated. This information can help dispel myths that are created by the creationists.
You can also consult a glossary that contains terms that are used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency of hereditary traits to become more adaptable to a specific environment. This is the result of natural selection. Organisms with better-adapted characteristics are more likely than those with less adapted characteristics to survive and reproduce.
Common ancestor: The most recent common ancestor of two or more different species. By studying the DNA of these species, it is possible to identify the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A huge biological molecular 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 source of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution is the relationship between two species where evolution of one species influence evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution can be observed in the interaction of predator and prey, or parasites and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups that can interbreed) develop through a series natural changes in the traits of their offspring. The changes can be triggered by a variety of factors such as natural selection, genetic drift and mixing of gene pools. The evolution of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, like changes in the climate or competition for food or habitat, can slow or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site tracks through time the evolution of different species of plants and animals with a focus on major changes in each group's past. It also focuses on the human evolutionary roots which is especially important for students to know.
When Darwin wrote the Origin, 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. Although the skullcap was not published until 1858, just one year after the first edition of the Origin appeared, it is very unlikely that Darwin had heard or seen of it.
The site is mostly one of biology however, it also has many details on geology and paleontology. The most impressive features of the Web site are a series of timelines which show the way in which climatic and geological conditions have changed over time, and an outline of the geographical distribution of some fossil groups listed on the site.
Although the site is a companion to the PBS television series, it also stands on its own as a valuable resource for teachers and students. The site is well-organized, and provides clear links to the introduction content of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's assistance) and the more specific features on 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 also links to John Endler's experiments with guppies that illustrate the importance ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life on Earth has led to a wide variety of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures in their natural environment offers many advantages over modern observational or experimental methods of studying evolutionary processes. In addition to examining the processes and events that happen regularly or over a long period of time, paleobiology is able to examine the diversity of groups of organisms and their distribution throughout the course of geological time.
The site is divided into a variety of paths to learning evolution which include "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a line through the nature of science and the evidence to support the theory of evolution. The course also focuses on 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 can be used to support a range of curriculum levels and pedagogical styles. In 에볼루션 바카라 체험 to the standard textual content, the site also has an array of multimedia and interactive content, such as video clips, animations, and virtual labs. The breadcrumb-like arrangement of the content assists with navigation and orientation on the large web site.
The page "Coral Reef Connections", for example, provides an overview of coral relationships, their interaction with other organisms, and then zooms in to one clam that is able communicate with its neighbours and respond to changes in water conditions that occur on the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary, multimedia and interactive pages on the site, offer an excellent introduction to a broad spectrum of topics in evolutionary biology. The content includes an overview of the significance of natural selectivity and the concept of phylogenetics which is a crucial method for understanding the evolution of changes.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is an underlying thread that connects all branches of biology. A wide range of resources can help teachers teach about evolution across all life sciences.
One resource, a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an excellent example of a Web site that offers both depth and breadth in its educational resources. The site has a wide array of interactive learning modules. It also features a "bread crumb structure" that assists students in moving away from the cartoon-like style of Understanding Evolution and onto elements on this site that are more closely connected to the worlds of research science. An animation that introduces students to the concept of genetics is linked to a page that highlights John Endler's experiments with artificial selection using Guppies living in ponds native to Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website has a huge multimedia library of assets related with evolution. The contents are organized into curriculum-based paths that parallel the learning objectives set out in biology standards. It contains seven 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 core of evolutionary biology, including what causes evolution to occur and how fast it happens. This is particularly relevant in the case of human evolution which was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that humans have a distinct position in the universe and a soul, with the notion that our physical traits originated from the apes.
There are also a number of other ways in which evolution can occur including natural selection, which is the most widely accepted theory. Scientists also study other kinds like mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection.
While many scientific fields of study are in conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts, evolution biology has been a subject of intense debate and opposition from religious fundamentalists. Certain religions have embraced their beliefs with evolutionary biology, but others haven't.