Why Evolution Site May Be More Dangerous Than You Realized
Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misconceptions about evolution persist. Pop science nonsense has led people to believe that biologists aren't believers in evolution.
This rich website - companion to the PBS series offers teachers with resources that promote evolution education and help avoid the kinds of myths 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. Non-scientists often misunderstand the subject and some scientists use a definition which confuses it. This is particularly relevant when it comes to the meaning of the words themselves.
It is therefore essential to define the terms used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a clear and useful way. The site is both an accompanying site for the 2001 series, but it is also a resource on its own. The information is presented in a structured manner that makes it simpler to navigate and comprehend.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor and the gradual process. These terms help to frame the nature of evolution and its relation to other scientific concepts. The site provides an overview of the ways that evolution has been tested. This information can be used to dispel misconceptions that have been propagated by the creationists.
You can also access a glossary which includes terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation is the tendency of hereditary traits to become more suited to the environment. This is the result of natural selection, which happens when organisms that have better-adapted traits are more likely survive and reproduce than those with less adaptable characteristics.
Common ancestor: The most recent common ancestor of two or more different species. The common ancestor can be identified by analyzing the DNA of these species.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A large biological molecular containing the information needed for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences, which are strung into long chains called chromosomes. Mutations are the reason behind the creation of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species in which the evolutionary changes of one species influence evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution is evident in the interaction of predator and prey, or parasite and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals that are able to interbreed) change through an array of natural changes in the characteristics of their offspring. The changes can be caused by a variety of factors, including natural selection, genetic drift, and mixing of gene pools. The evolution of new species could take thousands of years. Environmental circumstances, such as changes in the climate or competition for food or habitat can impede or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site tracks through time the emergence of various species of plants and animals with a focus on major changes in each group's history. It also examines the evolutionary origin of humans and humans, a subject that is particularly important for students to know.
Darwin's Origin was written 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 that accompanied it were discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now known as an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is unlikely that Darwin was aware of the skullcap when it was published in 1858, a year after the publication of the first edition of The Origin. Origin.
While the site focuses on biology, it also offers a lot of information about geology as well as paleontology. The Web site has numerous aspects that are quite impressive, such as 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.
While the site is a companion piece 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 offers clear links to the introductory material of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's assistance) and the more specialized features on the museum's website. These hyperlinks help users move from the cartoon-like style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. There are also links to John Endler's experiments with guppies, which demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life on Earth has led to a wide variety of plants, animals, and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures in their geological context and has numerous advantages over the modern observational and research methods of examining evolutionary processes. In addition to studying the processes and events that happen frequently or over a long period of time, paleobiology can be used to analyze the diversity of groups of organisms and their distribution across the course of geological time.
The website is divided into various ways to learn about evolution that include "Evolution 101," which takes the user on a linear path through the scientific process and the evidence supporting the theory of evolution. The path also explores the most common misconceptions about evolution, as well as the evolution of thought.
Each of the main sections of the Evolution website is equally well-developed, with materials that can be used to support a variety of educational levels and teaching styles. In addition to general textual content, the site also has an extensive selection of multimedia and interactive content, such as videos, animations and virtual labs. The content is organized in a nested, bread crumb-like fashion that helps with navigation and orientation on the Web site.
The page "Coral Reef Connections" For instance, it provides an overview of the relationships between corals and interactions with other organisms and then zooms in on one clam, which is able to communicate with its neighbors and react to changes in conditions of the water that occur at the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary interactive and multimedia pages provides an excellent introduction to the many areas of evolutionary biology. The material includes a discussion on the role of natural selectivity and the concept phylogenetics analysis which is a crucial method for understanding the evolution of change.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students the concept of evolution is a major thread that weaves together all the branches of the field. A rich collection of resources can help teachers teach about evolution across all life sciences.
에볼루션 바카라 체험 , 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 range of interactive learning modules. It also has an "bread crumb structure" that allows students to move away from the cartoon style that is used in Understanding Evolution and onto elements on this site that are more closely linked to the realms of research science. An animation that introduces students to the concept of genetics is linked to a page about John Endler's experiments in artificial selection using Guppies in native ponds in Trinidad.
Another useful resource is the Evolution Library on this web website, which includes an extensive library of multimedia assets that are related to evolution. The content is organized into the form of curriculum-based pathways that are in line with the learning goals set forth in biology standards. It contains seven short videos specifically designed for use in classrooms. These can be viewed online or purchased as DVDs.
Many important questions remain at the heart of evolutionary biology, including what triggers evolution and how fast it occurs. This is particularly relevant for humans' evolution, where it was difficult to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humans have a distinct place in creation and a soul with the notion that our physical traits evolved from Apes.
There are a myriad of other ways in which evolution could occur including natural selection, which is the most widely accepted theory. Scientists also study different types such as genetic drift, and sexual selection.
While many fields of scientific study conflict with literal interpretations found in religious texts, the concept of evolution biology has been a subject of intense controversy and opposition from religious fundamentalists. While some religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the theories of evolution, others have not.
