Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology teachers, misinformation about evolution persist. Pop science nonsense has led people to believe that biologists aren't believers in evolution.
This rich website - companion to the PBS series It provides teachers with materials which support evolution education and help avoid the kinds of misconceptions that undermine it. It's laid out in a nested "bread crumb" format to make it easy for navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complicated and difficult subject matter to teach effectively. 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 true when it comes to debates about the nature of the word.
It is therefore important to define the terms that are used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a clear and helpful manner. It is a companion for the 2001 series, but it is 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, gradual process and adaptation. 바카라 에볼루션 help to define the nature of evolution and its relation to other concepts in science. The site provides an overview of the manner in which evolution has been examined. This information can help dispel myths that are created by the creationists.
You can also consult a glossary that contains terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency for hereditary traits to become more adaptable to a specific environment. This is due to natural selection. It occurs when organisms that are more adaptable characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adapted traits.
Common ancestor (also called common ancestor) is the most recent ancestor that is shared by two or more species. By studying the DNA of these species it is possible to identify the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A large biological molecular that contains the information required for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences, which are strung into long chains called chromosomes. Mutations are responsible for the creation of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species where evolutionary changes in one species are influenced by evolutionary changes in the other. Examples of coevolution include the interaction between predator and prey, or the parasite and the host.
Origins
Species (groups that can interbreed) develop through a series of natural changes in the traits of their offspring. The changes can be caused by a variety such as natural selection, genetic drift, and gene pool mixing. The development of a new species could take thousands of years, and the process may be slowed or increased by environmental conditions such as climate change or competition for food or habitat.
The Evolution site tracks through time the emergence of various groups of animals and plants and focuses on major changes in each group's history. It also explores human evolution, which is a topic that is particularly important to students.
Darwin's Origin was published in 1859, when just a few antediluvian fossils of humans were discovered. The famous skullcap, along 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. Although the skullcap was not published until 1858, one year after the first edition of the Origin was published, it is very unlikely that Darwin had heard or seen of it.
The site is mostly an online biology resource however, it also has lots of information about geology and paleontology. Among the best features of the Web site are a set of timelines that illustrate the way in which climatic and geological conditions changed over time, and a map of the geographical distribution of some fossil groups listed on the site.
Although the site is a companion piece to the PBS television show however, it can stand on its own as a great resource for teachers and students. The site is very well-organized and offers clear links between the introduction information in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more specialized elements of the museum's web site. These hyperlinks facilitate the move from the cartoon-like style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. Particularly there are hyperlinks to John Endler's experiments using 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 geographical context and offers a number of advantages over the modern observational and research methods of examining evolutionary processes. In addition to exploring processes and events that occur regularly or over a long period of time, paleobiology can be used to examine the diversity of kinds of organisms as well as their distribution across the course of geological time.
The Web site is divided into various ways to learn about evolution that include "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a liner path through the science of nature and the evidence to support the theory of evolution. The course also focuses on misconceptions about evolution, as well as the history of evolutionary thinking.
Each of the other major sections of the Evolution site is equally well constructed, with materials that can support a variety of educational levels and pedagogical styles. The site offers a wide array of interactive and multimedia resources, including video clips, animations and virtual labs as well as general textual content. The content is laid out in a nested bread crumb-like fashion that helps with navigation and orientation within the large Web site.
The page "Coral Reef Connections" For instance, it gives a brief overview of coral relationships and interactions with other organisms and then zooms in on one clam, which is able to communicate with its neighbours and respond 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 site, offer an excellent introduction to a broad variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The information also includes an explanation of the role of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetic analysis, which is a crucial tool in understanding evolutionary change.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students, evolution is a key thread that weaves together all branches of the field. A vast collection of resources helps teachers teach about evolution across the life sciences.
One resource, a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an excellent example of an Web site that offers both depth and breadth in its educational resources. The site features a wide range of interactive learning modules. It also has a nested "bread crumb" structure that allows students to transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this large Web site more closely tied to the world of research science. An animation that introduces students to the concept of genetics, which links to a page highlighting John Endler's experiments in artificial selection using Guppies in native ponds in Trinidad.
바카라 에볼루션 on this website contains a large multimedia library of materials that deal to evolution. The content is organized in the form of curriculum-based pathways that are in line with the learning goals set forth in the standards for biology. It contains seven videos specifically designed for use in classrooms, and can be streamed for free or purchased on DVD.
Evolutionary biology remains an area of study with a lot of important questions, such as what triggers evolution and how quickly it takes place. This is especially applicable to human evolution which has made it difficult to reconcile that the innate physical characteristics of humans were derived from apes, and the religious beliefs that hold that humanity is unique among living things and has an exclusive place in the creation with soul.
There are a variety of other ways evolution can take place, with natural selection as the most well-known theory. However scientists also study different kinds of evolution, such as genetic drift, mutation, and sexual selection, among others.
Many fields of inquiry have a conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts evolutionary biology has been the subject of particularly fierce debate and opposition from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have managed to reconcile their beliefs with the ideas of evolution, others haven't.