Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology teachers, misinformation about evolution remain. People who have absorbed pop science nonsense often assume that biologists claim they do not believe in evolution.
This rich Web site, which is a complement to the PBS program offers teachers resources which support evolution education while avoiding the types of misconceptions which undermine it. It's organized in the "bread crumb" format to aid in navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complex and difficult subject to teach effectively. It is often misunderstood by non-scientists and even some scientists use an interpretation that is confusing the issue. This is particularly true when discussing the nature of the words themselves.
It is therefore important to define the terms used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a simple and efficient manner. The site is a companion to the show that premiered in 2001, but it is also an independent resource. The material is organized in a manner that makes it easier to navigate and understand.
The site defines terms like common ancestor, gradual process, and adaptation. These terms help to define the nature of evolution as well as its relationship to other concepts in science. The site gives a comprehensive overview of the manner the concept of evolution has been examined. This information can be used to dispel misconceptions that have been created by the creationists.
It is also possible to get the glossary of terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation is the process of changing hereditary traits to become more suitable to their environment. This is a result of natural selection. Organisms that have better-adapted characteristics are more likely than those with less adaptable characteristics to survive and reproduce.
Common ancestor (also called common ancestor) The most recent ancestral ancestor shared by two or more species. The common ancestor can be identified by studying the DNA of those species.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A large biological molecule that holds the information needed for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences, which are strung into long chains, referred to as chromosomes. Mutations are the reason behind the creation of new genetic information inside cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species in which the evolutionary changes of one species are influenced by evolutionary changes in the other. Examples of coevolution include the interactions between predator and prey or host and parasite.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals who can interbreed) change through natural changes in the traits of their offspring. Changes can be caused by numerous factors, like natural selection, gene drift, and mixing of the gene pool. The development of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, like changes in the climate or competition for food or habitat can impede or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site traces through time the emergence of various animal and plant groups and focuses on major changes in each group's past. It also explores human evolution and is a subject of particular importance to students.
When Darwin wrote the Origin in 1859, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been discovered. The famous skullcap, with the bones that accompanied 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, which was published in 1858, a year after the first edition of The Origin.
The site is primarily a biology site, but it also contains many details on paleontology and geology. The site offers a number of features that are particularly impressive, including a timeline of how geological and climate conditions have changed over the course of time. It also has a map showing the distribution of fossil groups.
The site is a companion to a PBS TV series but it can also be used as a source for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and offers clear links between the introductory information in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more specialized elements of the museum Web site. These hyperlinks make it easy to move from the cartoon-style Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated worlds of research science. Particularly there are 에볼루션 사이트 to John Endler's experiments using guppies that illustrate the importance of 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 for exploring evolutionary phenomena. Paleobiology focuses on not only processes and events that take place regularly or over time but also the distribution and frequency of different species of animals in space throughout the geological time.
The site is divided into several optional pathways to understanding evolution that include "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a line through the scientific process and the evidence to support the theory of evolution. 에볼루션 룰렛 examines myths about evolution and also the history of evolutionary 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 levels of curriculum and teaching methods. In addition to the general textual content, the site also has an array of interactive and multimedia resources like videos, animations, and virtual laboratories. The content is organized in a nested, bread crumb fashion that aids navigation and orientation on the Web site.
The page "Coral Reef Connections", for example, provides a comprehensive overview of coral relationships and their interactions with other organisms and zooms in on a single clam, which is able communicate with its neighbors 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, offers a great introduction to the many areas of evolutionary biology. The content also includes an explanation of the role of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetic analysis which is a key method to understand evolutionary change.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students the concept of evolution is a major thread that connects all the branches of the field. A wide selection of resources helps teachers teach evolution across the life science disciplines.
One resource, which is a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an excellent example of an Web site that offers both depth and a variety of educational resources. The site features a wealth of interactive learning modules. It also features a "bread crumb structure" that assists students in moving away from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution and onto elements on this large website more closely related to the fields 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 on native ponds in Trinidad.
Another helpful resource is the Evolution Library on this web website, which includes an extensive multimedia library of assets related to evolution. The content is organized into curricula-based pathways that correspond to the learning goals established in biology standards. It includes seven short videos designed specifically for classroom use, which can be streamed for free or purchased on DVD.
Evolutionary biology is a field of study that has many important questions to answer, such as what triggers evolution and the speed at which it takes place. This is particularly applicable to human evolution where it's been difficult to reconcile that the physical traits of humans were derived from apes, and the religious beliefs that claim that humans are unique among living things and holds a a special place in creation, with a soul.
There are a variety of other ways in which evolution can take place, with natural selection as the most widely accepted theory. However scientists also study different types of evolution such as mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection, among others.
While many fields of scientific study have a conflict with literal interpretations found in religious texts, the concept of evolution biology has been a source of intense debate and opposition from religious fundamentalists. Some religions have reconciled their beliefs to evolution but others haven't.