Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology teachers, there are still misconceptions about evolution. Pop science fiction has led a lot of people to think that biologists don't believe in evolution.
This site, a companion to the PBS program, provides teachers with materials that promote evolution education while avoiding the types of misconceptions that can hinder it. It's organized in a nested "bread crumb" format for ease of navigation and orientation.
Definitions
It's difficult to teach evolution well. People who are not scientists often have a difficult time understanding the subject and some scientists use a definition that confuses it. This is particularly applicable to debates about the nature of the word.
It is therefore important to define the terms used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website provides this in an easy and helpful manner. The site is both an accompaniment to the 2001 series, but also a resource on its own. The content is presented in a nested fashion which aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms like common ancestor and gradual process. These terms help define the nature and significance of evolution with other scientific concepts. The site also provides an overview of how the concept of evolution has been tested and confirmed. This information will help to dispel the myths created by creationists.
It is also possible to access a glossary of terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation is the tendency of hereditary traits to become more suitable to their environment. This is the result of natural selection, which occurs when organisms that have better adapted traits are more likely survive and reproduce than those with less adapted characteristics.
Common ancestor: The most recent common ancestor of two or more distinct species. The common ancestor can be identified by studying the DNA of those species.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A large biological molecule that contains the information necessary for cell replication. 에볼루션 게이밍 is stored in nucleotide sequences that are strung into long chains, referred to as chromosomes. Mutations are responsible for the creation of new genetic information inside cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species where evolutionary changes in one species are influenced by evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution is evident in the interactions between predator and prey, or parasite and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups that can crossbreed) change through a series 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 could take thousands of years. Environmental circumstances, such as changes in the climate or competition for food and habitat can impede or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site follows the evolution of different groups of animals and plants and focuses on major changes within each group's past. It also explores human evolution as a subject that is particularly important to 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 believed to be an early Homo neanderthalensis. Although the skullcap was not published until 1858, just a year before the first edition of the Origin appeared, it is highly unlikely that Darwin had ever heard of it.
The site is primarily a biology site however, it also has a lot of information on paleontology and geology. The most impressive features of the Web site are a set of timelines that show the way in which climatic and geological conditions changed over time, as well as an interactive map of the distribution of a few of the fossil groups featured on the site.
The site is a companion to a PBS TV series but it can also be used as a resource for teachers and students. The site is well-organized, and provides easy 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 links facilitate the transition 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 demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life has produced a variety of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology, the study of these creatures within their geological context, has many advantages over modern observational or research methods for exploring evolutionary phenomena. Paleobiology is able to study not just the processes and events that occur frequently or over time, but also the relative abundance and distribution of different groups of animals in space throughout the geological time.
The Web site is divided into several optional paths to learning evolution which 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 reveals common misconceptions about evolution and the history of evolutionary thought.
Each of the other sections of the Evolution site is similarly developed, with materials that support a variety of curriculum levels and pedagogical styles. The site includes a variety of interactive and multimedia resources, including animations, video clips and virtual labs as well as general textual content. The content is organized in a nested, bread crumb style that facilitates navigation and orientation within the vast web site.
For instance, the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides an overview of the relationships between corals and their interactions with other organisms, then zooms in on a single clam that is able to communicate with its neighbours and respond to changes in water conditions that take place at the reef level. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary interactive and multimedia pages provides an excellent introduction to many topics in evolutionary biology. The material includes an explanation of the importance of natural selection and the concept phylogenetics analysis as a key tool for understanding evolutionary changes.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is an underlying thread that is found throughout all branches of biology. A vast collection of books helps in teaching evolution across all disciplines of life sciences.
One resource, the companion to PBS's television show Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of a Web page that offers both depth and broadness in terms of educational resources. The site features a wide range of interactive learning modules. It also has an "bread crumb structure" that assists students in moving away from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution and onto elements on this site that are more closely connected 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 with artificial selection using Guppies in native ponds in Trinidad.
Another helpful resource is the Evolution Library on this web site, which has an extensive multimedia library of resources that are related to evolution. The content is organized into courses that are based on curriculum and follow the learning objectives outlined in biology standards. It contains seven videos specifically designed for classroom use. They can be viewed online or purchased as DVDs.
Many important questions remain at the core of evolutionary biology, such as the factors that trigger evolution and the speed at which it occurs. This is especially 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 hold that humanity is unique in the universe and has a special place in creation. It is a soul.
Additionally, there are a number of ways that evolution can occur with natural selection being the most popular theory. However scientists also study different types of evolution such as mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection, among other things.
Many fields of inquiry have a conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts Evolutionary biology has been the subject of particularly intense controversy and resistance from religious fundamentalists. While some religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the ideas of evolution, other religions haven't.