Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, there are still a lot of misconceptions about the evolution. Pop science nonsense has led many people to think that biologists don't believe in evolution.
This site, which is a companion to the PBS series - provides teachers with materials that support evolution education and avoids the kinds of misinformation that can make it difficult to understand. It's arranged in a nested "bread crumb" format to make it easy for navigation and orientation.
Definitions
It's not easy to properly teach evolution. Non-scientists often misunderstand the subject, and some scientists even use a definition which confuses it. This is particularly relevant to discussions on the nature of the word.
It is essential to define terms used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website helps you define these terms in an easy and helpful way. The site is a companion site to the show which first aired in 2001, but it also functions as an independent resource. The material is presented in an organized manner that makes it easier to navigate and understand.
The site defines terms like common ancestor and the gradual process. These terms help frame the nature of evolution and its relationship to other scientific concepts. The site provides an overview of the way the concept of evolution has been examined. This information can be used to dispel myths that have been propagated by the creationists.
You can also access a glossary which contains terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation is the tendency of heritable traits to become more suited to the environment. This is a result of natural selection. Organisms that have better-adapted traits are more likely than those with less adaptable traits to reproduce and survive.
Common ancestor (also known as common ancestor): The most recent ancestral ancestor shared by two or more species. By analyzing the DNA from these species, it is possible to identify the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A huge biological molecular containing the necessary information for cell replication. The information is contained in nucleotides arranged in sequences that are strung together into long chains, called chromosomes. Mutations are the reason behind 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 are the interactions between predator and prey or the parasite and the host.
Origins
Species (groups that can crossbreed), evolve through a series natural changes in their offspring's traits. These changes are caused by a variety of causes such as natural selection, genetic drift and mixing of genes. The development of a new species could take thousands of years and the process may be slowed down or accelerated by environmental conditions such as climate change or competition for food or habitat.
The Evolution site tracks the development of a number of different animal and plant groups through time, focusing on the major changes that took place in the history of each group. It also explores human evolution and is a subject that is particularly important for students.
When Darwin wrote the Origin of Species, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been discovered. The famous skullcap, with the associated bones, was discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now known as an early Homo neanderthalensis. Although the skullcap was not published until 1858, one year after the first edition of the Origin appeared, it is highly unlikely that Darwin had seen or heard of it.
The site is primarily one of biology, but it also contains lots of information about paleontology and geology. 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, as well as an interactive map of the distribution of a few fossil groups that are featured on the site.
Although the site is a companion to a PBS television show, it also stands on its own as a valuable source for teachers and students. 에볼루션사이트 is well-organized, and provides clear links to the introductory material of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's support) and the more specialized features on the museum's website. These hyperlinks facilitate the move from the cartoon-like style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. In particular, there are links to John Endler's experiments with Guppies, which demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life has led to many species of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures within their natural environment offers many advantages over the current observational or experimental methods for exploring evolutionary processes. Paleobiology focuses on not just the processes and events that occur regularly or over time, but also the relative abundance and distribution of different species of animals across the geological time.
The site is divided up into different paths that can be chosen to study the subject of evolution. One of these paths, "Evolution 101," guides the user through the evolution of nature and the evidence of evolution. The path also reveals 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 equally developed, with materials that support a variety of curriculum levels and pedagogical styles. In addition to the general textual content, the site offers an extensive selection of multimedia and interactive resources, such as video clips, animations, and virtual laboratories. The content is organized in a nested, bread crumb style that facilitates navigation and orientation on the web site.
For instance, the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides a comprehensive overview of coral relationships and their interactions with other organisms. It then zooms in on a single clam that is able to communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in water conditions that take place at the level of the reef. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary interactive and multimedia pages provides an excellent introduction to many topics in evolutionary biology. The information also includes a discussion of the role of natural selection as well as the concept of phylogenetic analysis, which is a crucial tool in understanding evolutionary change.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students the concept of evolution is a major thread that binds all the branches of the field. A vast collection of books helps in teaching evolution across all life science disciplines.
One resource, a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an outstanding example of a Web site that offers both depth and a variety of educational resources. The site offers a variety of interactive learning modules. It also features a nested "bread crumb" structure that allows students to move from the cartoon-like style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this huge site that are more closely tied to the field of research science. An animation that introduces students to the concept of genetics links to a page that highlights John Endler's experiments with artificial selection using guppies on native ponds in Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website has a huge multimedia library of assets related with evolution. The contents are organized into curricula-based pathways that correspond to the learning goals established in the standards for biology. It includes seven short videos designed specifically for use in classrooms, and can be streamed for no cost or purchased on DVD.
Many important questions remain at the heart of evolutionary biology, including what triggers evolution and how fast it occurs. This is particularly applicable to human evolution which has made it difficult to reconcile the idea that the innate physical characteristics of humans evolved from apes with religious beliefs that claim that humans are unique in the universe and has a special place in creation, with a soul.
There are also 무료에볼루션 of other ways in which evolution can take place including natural selection, which is the most popular theory. However scientists also study other types of evolution such as mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection, among other things.
Although many scientific fields of study have a conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts, evolution biology has been a source of intense debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have managed to reconcile their beliefs with the notions of evolution, other religions aren't.