Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts by biology educators, there are still a lot of misconceptions about the evolution. Pop science nonsense has led people to believe that biologists don't believe evolution.
This site, which is a complement to the PBS program that provides teachers with resources which support evolution education, while avoiding the kinds of misconceptions which hinder it. 에볼루션 바카라 사이트 's organized in a nested "bread crumb" format for ease of navigation and orientation.
Definitions
It's difficult to properly teach evolution. It is often misunderstood by non-scientists, and even scientists are guilty of using a definition that confuses the issue. This is especially applicable to discussions on the definition of the word itself.
Therefore, it is important to define terms used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a clear and helpful manner. It is an accompanying site for the 2001 series, and also a resource on its own. The information is organized in a way that makes it easy to navigate and comprehend.
original site defines terms such as common ancestor, gradual process and so on. These terms help to frame the nature of evolution as well as its relationship to other concepts in science. The site then offers an overview of how the concept of evolution has been researched and confirmed. This information can be used to dispel myths that have been engendered by creationists.
You can also access a glossary that includes terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency for heritable traits to become better suited to a particular environment. This is a result of natural selection. Organisms with more adaptable characteristics are more likely than those with less adaptable characteristics to survive and reproduce.
Common ancestor: The latest 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 molecule that holds the information required for cell replication. The information is contained in sequences of nucleotides that are strung together to form long chains, called chromosomes. Mutations are responsible for the creation of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species in which evolutionary changes in one species are dependent on evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution can be observed through the interaction between predator and prey, or parasite and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals that are able to interbreed) evolve through natural changes in the traits of their offspring. The causes of these changes are many factors, such as natural selection, gene drift and mixing of the gene pool. The evolution of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, such as climate changes or competition for food and habitat can impede or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site follows the evolution of various species of plants and animals and focuses on major changes in each group's history. It also explores the evolutionary history of humans, a topic that is particularly important for students to know.
Darwin's Origin was published in 1859, when just a few antediluvian fossils of human beings had been discovered. The famous skullcap, with the associated bones, was discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now recognized as an early Homo neanderthalensis. While the skullcap wasn't published until 1858, a year before the first edition of the Origin was published, it is extremely unlikely that Darwin had seen or heard of it.
The site is mostly a biology site however it also includes a lot of information on paleontology and geology. The site offers several features that are especially impressive, including the timeline of how geological and climate conditions have changed over time. It also has an interactive map that shows the location of fossil groups.
While the site is a companion to a PBS television series, it also stands on its own as a great resource for teachers and students. The site is very well organized and provides clear links between the introduction material in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more specialized components of the museum's Web site. These hyperlinks facilitate the move from the engaging cartoon style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. There are links to John Endler's experiments with guppies, which illustrate 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 within their geographical context and offers numerous advantages over modern observational and experimental methods of examining evolutionary processes. Paleobiology is able to study not only processes and events that happen frequently or over time, but also the distribution and frequency of different groups of animals in space throughout geological time.
The site is divided into various ways to learn about evolution that include "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a line through the science of nature and the evidence to support the theory of evolution. The path also explores the most common misconceptions about evolution, as well as the evolution theory's history.
Each of the other sections of the Evolution site is similarly constructed, with materials that can be used to support a range of educational levels and pedagogical styles. The site has a range of multimedia and interactive resources, including videos, animations, and virtual laboratories in addition to general textual content. The breadcrumb-like organization of the content aids in navigation and orientation on the large website.
The page "Coral Reef Connections" For instance, the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides a comprehensive overview of the coral's relationships and their interactions with other organisms, and then zooms in on one clam that is able communicate with its neighbors and react to changes in the conditions of the water at the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary, multimedia and interactive pages on the website, provide an excellent introduction to a wide spectrum of 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 changes.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is a common thread that connects all branches of biology. A vast collection of books helps in teaching evolution across all life science disciplines.
One resource, which is the companion to PBS's TV series Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of an Web page that provides depth and breadth in terms of its educational resources. The site has a variety of interactive learning modules. It also has 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 related to the fields of research science. An animation that introduces the concept of genetics, which links to a page highlighting John Endler's experiments in artificial selection using guppies on native ponds in Trinidad.
Another resource that is worth mentioning is the Evolution Library on this web site, which contains an extensive multimedia library of resources related to evolution. The content is organized into curriculum-based pathways that correspond to the learning objectives set out in biology standards. It contains seven videos designed specifically for use in the classroom, and can be streamed for free or purchased on DVD.
Evolutionary biology is still a field of study that poses many important questions, such as the causes of evolution and how quickly it occurs. This is particularly applicable to human evolution where it has been difficult to reconcile the notion that the physical traits of humans derived from apes, and the religions that believe that humanity is unique among living things and holds a a special place in creation. It is a soul.
There are a myriad of other ways in which evolution could occur including natural selection, which is the most well-known theory. However scientists also study different types of evolution such as genetic drift, mutation, and sexual selection, among others.
While many scientific fields of inquiry conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts Evolutionary biology has been the subject of intense controversy and resistance from religious fundamentalists. Certain religions have reconciled their beliefs with evolutionary biology, while others haven't.