Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution

Despite the best efforts by biology teachers, there are still misconceptions about the evolution. Pop science nonsense has led people to believe that biologists don't believe evolution.

This rich Web site, which is a companion to the PBS program, provides teachers with materials that support the evolution of education while avoiding the types of misconceptions that undermine it. It's laid out in a "bread crumb" format to make navigation and orientation easier.

Definitions

It's difficult to teach evolution well. Many non-scientists are unable to grasp the concept and some scientists employ a definition that confuses it. This is particularly relevant when discussing the definition of the words.

It is crucial to define the terms used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website provides this in an easy and helpful way. The site is both an accompanying site for the 2001 series, but also a resource of its own. The content is presented in a nested manner which aids navigation and orientation.

The site defines terms like common ancestor, the gradual process and adaptation. These terms help to define the nature of evolution and its relation to other concepts in science. The website provides a summary of the manner in which evolution has been tested. This information will help to dispel the myths created by creationists.

You can also consult a glossary that contains terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:

Adaptation: The tendency for heritable traits to become better suitable to a particular setting. This is due to natural selection. It occurs when organisms that have better-adapted traits are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adapted traits.

Common ancestor (also known as common ancestor): The most recent ancestor shared by two or more species. The common ancestor can be identified by studying the DNA of the species.

Deoxyribonucleic acid: A massive biological molecule that holds the information needed for cell replication. The information is contained in a sequence of nucleotides that are strung together into long chains, called chromosomes. Mutations are the cause of new genetic information within cells.

Coevolution is the relationship between two species in which the evolution of one species are influenced evolutionary changes in the other. Examples of coevolution include the interaction between predator and prey or parasite and host.


Origins

Species (groups of individuals that are able to interbreed) develop through natural changes in the characteristics of their offspring. These changes can be caused by many factors, such as natural selection, gene drift and mixing of the gene pool. The development of a new species can take thousands of years and the process could be slowed down or accelerated by environmental conditions such as climate change or competition for food or habitat.

The Evolution site tracks through time the emergence of various animal and plant groups and focuses on major changes within each group's past. It also focuses on the evolutionary history of humans which is particularly important for students to understand.

Darwin's Origin was published in 1859, when just a few antediluvian fossils of humans were discovered. The famous skullcap, along with the bones associated with it, was discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now regarded as an early Homo neanderthalensis. While the skullcap wasn't published until 1858, which was one year before the first edition of the Origin appeared, it is extremely unlikely that Darwin had seen or heard of it.

The site is primarily one of biology, but it also contains a lot of information on paleontology and geology. 에볼루션사이트 of the most appealing features of the Web site are a series of timelines which show the way in which climatic and geological conditions have changed over time as well as an interactive map of the distribution of some fossil groups that are featured on the site.

While the site is a companion to the PBS television series, it also stands on its own as a great source for teachers and students. The site is extremely well organized and provides clear links between the introductory information in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more specific components of the museum's Web site. These hyperlinks make it easier to move from the cartoon-style Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated realms of research science. Particularly there are hyperlinks to John Endler's experiments using Guppies, which demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.

Diversity

The evolution of life has led to a variety of plants, animals and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures in their geological context, has many advantages over the current observational or experimental methods of studying evolutionary processes. In addition to examining the processes and events that happen regularly or over a lengthy period of time, paleobiology allows to study the relative abundance of various groups of organisms and their distribution in space over the course of geological time.

The site is divided up into various paths that can be chosen to study the subject of evolution. One of the paths, "Evolution 101," guides the user through the complexities and evidence of evolution. The path also examines myths regarding evolution, as well as the history of evolutionary thought.

Each of the other sections of the Evolution site is equally well developed, with materials that can be used to support a range of curriculum levels and pedagogical styles. In addition to the general textual content, the site also has a wide range of multimedia and interactive content, such as videos, animations and virtual laboratories. The content is organized in a nested, bread crumb-like fashion that helps with navigation and orientation on the Web site.

The page "Coral Reef Connections", for example, provides an overview of coral relationships and interactions with other organisms, and then zooms in to one clam, which is able to 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, gives a good introduction to many topics in evolutionary biology. The content also includes a discussion on the importance of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetics which is a crucial method for understanding the evolution of change.

Evolutionary Theory

Evolution is a common thread that is found throughout all branches of biology. A rich collection supports teaching evolution across all disciplines of life science.

One resource, which is a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an excellent example of a Web site that offers both depth and a variety of educational resources. The site offers a variety of interactive learning modules. It also features an encased "bread crumb" structure that allows students to transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this massive website that are closer to the field of research science. For instance an animation that introduces the concept of genetic inheritance links to a page highlighting John Endler's experiments in artificial selection with guppies from the native ponds of Trinidad.

Another resource that is worth mentioning is the Evolution Library on this web site, which has an extensive multimedia library of resources related to evolution. The content is organized into curriculum-based paths that parallel the learning goals established in the biology standards. It contains seven videos designed for use in classrooms. They are available to stream or purchase as DVDs.

A variety of crucial questions remain at the heart of evolutionary biology, such as what causes evolution to occur and the speed at which it occurs. This is particularly relevant for humans' evolution where it was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humanity has a special place in creation and a soul, with the notion that human beings have innate physical traits originated from apes.

There are a myriad of other ways in which evolution could occur including natural selection, which is the most widely accepted theory. However scientists also study different kinds of evolution like genetic drift, mutation, 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 the subject of intense debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. Certain religions have reconciled their beliefs with evolution, while others haven't.