Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology teachers, there are still misconceptions about the evolution. People who have been exposed to pop science nonsense often assume that biologists are saying they do not believe in evolution.
This rich website - companion to the PBS series - provides teachers with materials that promote evolution education and avoids the kinds of myths that make it difficult to understand. It's organized in a nested "bread crumb" format to facilitate navigation and orientation.
Definitions
It is difficult to effectively teach evolution. It is often misunderstood by non-scientists, and even scientists use an interpretation that is confusing the issue. This is especially relevant when discussing the nature of the words themselves.
Therefore, it is important to define terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website does this in a straightforward and useful way. It is an accompaniment to the 2001 series, but also a resource on its own. The content is presented in a way which aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor and the gradual process. These terms help to define the nature of evolution as well as its relation to other scientific concepts. The site then offers an overview of how the concept of evolution has been researched and validated. This information can help dispel myths created by creationists.
You can also access a glossary that contains terms that are used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency of heritable traits to become better suitable to a particular setting. This is the result of natural selection. Organisms with more adaptable traits are more likely than those with less-adapted traits to reproduce and survive.
Common ancestor (also called common ancestor) The most recent ancestor shared by two or more species. The common ancestor can be identified through analyzing the DNA of these species.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A massive biological molecule that contains information necessary for cell replication. The information is contained in a sequence of nucleotides that are strung together to form long chains, referred to as chromosomes. Mutations are the basis for new genetic information in cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species where evolutionary changes in one species are dependent on evolutionary changes in the other. Examples of coevolution include the interactions between predator and prey or host and parasite.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals that are able to interbreed) develop through a series of natural changes in the traits of their offspring. These changes are caused by a variety of factors, including natural selection, genetic drift, and mixing of genes. The evolution of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, such as changes in the climate or competition for food or habitat, can slow or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site tracks the evolution of various animal and plant groups through time, focusing on the major shifts that occurred throughout the evolution of each group's history. It also examines the evolution of humans as a subject of particular importance for students.
Darwin's Origin was written in 1859, at a time when only a few antediluvian fossils of human beings had been discovered. Among them was the famous skullcap and the associated bones discovered in 1856 at the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany, which is now known to be 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 publication of the first edition of The Origin. Origin.
While the site is focused on biology, it also includes a good deal of information on geology and paleontology. The Web site has a number of features that are especially impressive, including a timeline of how geological and climate conditions have changed over time. It also has maps that show the locations of fossil groups.
The site is a companion to the PBS TV series but it can also be used as an educational resource for teachers and students. The site is very well organized and provides clear links between the introductory content in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more specific components of the museum's Web site. These hyperlinks facilitate the move from the enthralling cartoon style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. In particular there are links to John Endler's research with Guppies that demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life on Earth has resulted in a variety of animals, plants, and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures within their geological context, has many advantages over modern observational or research methods for studying evolutionary phenomena. Paleobiology is able to study not only the process and events that occur frequently or over time, but also the relative abundance and distribution of different species of animals in space over the course of the geological time.
The Web site is divided into various paths to learning evolution which include "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a liner path through the scientific process and the evidence supporting the theory of evolution. The course also focuses on misconceptions regarding evolution, and the background of evolutionary thought.
Each of the main sections on the Evolution website is equally well-designed, with materials that are suited to a variety of levels of curriculum and teaching methods. The site offers a wide array of multimedia and interactive resources that include videos, animations, and virtual laboratories, in addition to its general textual content. The breadcrumb-like arrangement of the content assists with navigation and orientation on the vast website.
에볼루션 블랙잭 For instance, the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides a comprehensive overview of coral relationships, their interaction with other organisms, and then is enlarged to show a single clam, which is able communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in the conditions of the water at the reef level. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary multimedia and interactive pages, provides an excellent introduction to a variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The information also includes an explanation of the role of natural selection as well as the concept of phylogenetic analysis, which is a crucial tool for understanding the evolution of change.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is an underlying thread that runs through all branches of biology. A vast collection of books helps in teaching evolution across all life science disciplines.
One resource, the companion to PBS's TV series Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of an Web page that offers both depth and broadness in terms of educational resources. The site has a variety of interactive learning modules. It also features a nested "bread crumb" structure that allows students to transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this massive website that are closer to the world of research science. Animation that introduces the concept of genetics is linked to a page that highlights John Endler's experiments in artificial selection using Guppies in native ponds in Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website contains a large multimedia library of materials that deal to evolution. The content is organized into curriculum-based pathways that correspond to the learning goals set forth 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.
Evolutionary biology remains a field of study that has many important questions to answer, such as the causes of evolution and how quickly it occurs. This is particularly relevant in the case of human evolution, where it was difficult to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humanity has a unique place in creation and a soul with the notion that human beings have innate physical traits evolved from the apes.
There are a variety of other ways in which evolution can occur and natural selection being the most well-known theory. Scientists also study other types such as mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection.
While many fields of scientific inquiry conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts evolutionary biology has been the subject of fierce debate and opposition from religious fundamentalists. Certain religions have embraced their beliefs to evolution while others haven't.