Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution

Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misinformation about evolution remain. Pop science nonsense has led people to think that biologists don't believe in evolution.

This site, which is a complement to the PBS program that provides teachers with resources that promote evolution education, while avoiding the kinds of misconceptions which hinder it. It's organized in a nested "bread crumb" format to make it easy for navigation and orientation.

Definitions

It's not easy to effectively teach evolution. Many non-scientists are unable to grasp the concept and some scientists use a definition that confuses it. This is particularly relevant to debates about the meaning of the word itself.


It is therefore important to define the terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website helps you define these terms in an easy and helpful way. The site is a companion to the show that premiered in 2001, but it is also an independent resource. The information is presented in an organized manner that makes it easier to navigate and comprehend.

The site defines terms like common ancestor and gradual process. These terms help frame the nature of evolution as well as its relation to other concepts in science. The site provides an overview of the way in which evolution has been examined. This information can help dispel myths created by creationists.

It is also possible to get a glossary of terms that are used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:

Adaptation: The tendency of hereditary traits to become more suited to a particular environment. This is the result of natural selection. Organisms with better-adapted characteristics are more likely than those with less-adapted traits to survive and reproduce.

Common ancestor: The most recent common ancestor of two or more species. By analyzing DNA from these species, it is possible to determine the common ancestor.

Deoxyribonucleic acid: A massive biological molecule that contains the information necessary for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences, which are strung into long chains known as chromosomes. Mutations are responsible for the creation of new genetic information within cells.

Coevolution: A relationship between two species in which evolutionary changes in one species are dependent on evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution can be observed in the interaction of predator and prey, or parasites and hosts.

Origins

Species (groups of individuals who can interbreed) change through a series of natural changes in the characteristics of their offspring. The causes of these changes are many factors, such as natural selection, gene drift, and mixing of the gene pool. The development of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental circumstances, such as changes in the climate or competition for food resources and habitat can slow or speed up the process.

The Evolution site traces the emergence of various animal and plant groups through time with a focus on the key transitions that occurred in the history of each group. It also examines the evolution of humans as a subject that is of particular interest to students.

When Darwin wrote the Origin of Species, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been found. The famous skullcap, along with the bones that accompanied it, was discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now known as an early Homo neanderthalensis. Although the skullcap was not published until 1858, a year before the first edition of the Origin was published, it is very unlikely that Darwin had heard or seen of it.

While the site is focused on biology, it also offers a lot of information on geology and paleontology. The Web site has several aspects that are quite impressive, including the timeline of how climate and geological conditions have changed over time. It also has a map showing the distribution of fossil groups.

Although the site is a companion piece to a PBS television series but it also stands on its own as an excellent resource for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and provides clear links to the introductory content of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's support) and the more specialized features on the museum's website. These links facilitate the transition from the enthralling cartoon style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. Particularly, there are links to John Endler's experiments using guppies that illustrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.

Diversity

The evolution of life on Earth has resulted in a variety of plants, animals, and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures in their natural environment and has many advantages over the modern observational and research methods in its exploration of evolutionary processes. In addition to exploring the processes and events that happen regularly or over a long period of time, paleobiology is able to study the diversity of kinds of organisms as well as their distribution throughout geological time.

The site is divided into various routes that can be taken to gain knowledge about evolution. One of these paths, "Evolution 101," guides the user through the complexities and evidence of evolution. The path also explores misconceptions about evolution and also the history of evolutionary thinking.

Each of the main sections of the Evolution website is equally well-designed, with materials that are suited to a variety of educational levels and teaching styles. The site has a range of interactive and multimedia content which include animations, video clips and virtual laboratories, in addition to its general textual content. The content is organized in a nested, bread crumb fashion that aids navigation and orientation within the vast Web site.

The page "Coral Reef Connections" 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 can communicate with its neighbors and react to changes in conditions of the water at the reef level. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary multimedia and interactive pages, offers a great introduction to a variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The material includes an overview of the role of natural selectivity and the concept of phylogenetics as a key tool for understanding evolutionary change.

Evolutionary Theory

For biology students evolution is a crucial thread that weaves together all branches of the field. A wide selection of resources helps teachers teach evolution across the life science disciplines.

One resource, which is the companion to PBS's television series Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of a Web page that provides the depth and the wide range of educational resources. The site has a variety of interactive learning modules. It also features an embedded "bread crumb" structure that allows students to move from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this massive website that are more closely linked 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 with artificial selection using Guppies living in ponds native to Trinidad.

Another resource that is worth mentioning is the Evolution Library on this site, which contains an extensive collection of multimedia resources that are related to evolution. The content is organized into curricula-based pathways that correspond to the learning objectives outlined in the biology standards. It contains seven short videos designed for classroom use. These can be viewed online or purchased as DVDs.

A variety of crucial questions remain at the heart of evolutionary biology, including what causes evolution to occur and how fast it happens. This is particularly true for human evolution, where it's been difficult to reconcile the notion that the physical characteristics of humans evolved from apes and religious beliefs that claim that humans are unique among living things and holds a an enviable place in creation. It is soul.

In mouse click the following article there are a variety of ways that evolution can be triggered with natural selection being the most widely accepted theory. However scientists also study other kinds of evolution like genetic drift, mutation, and sexual selection, among other things.

While many fields of scientific inquiry have a conflict with literal interpretations of religious texts, evolutionary biology has been the subject of controversial debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have managed to reconcile their beliefs with the theories of evolution, other religions aren't.