Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution

Despite the best efforts of biology educators, there are still a lot of misconceptions about evolution. People who have absorbed the nonsense of pop science often believe that biologists claim they don't believe in evolution.


This rich website - companion to the PBS series offers teachers with resources that support evolution education and help avoid the kinds of misconceptions that hinder it. It's organized in the "bread crumb" format to aid in navigation and orientation.

Definitions

Evolution is a complex and difficult subject matter to teach well. Non-scientists often misunderstand the subject, and some scientists even employ a definition that confuses it. This is especially true when discussing the meaning of the words themselves.

Therefore, it is important to define terms used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website provides this in a simple and efficient way. The site serves as an accompaniment to the 2001 series, but it is also a resource on its own. The information is organized in a way that makes it easy to navigate and comprehend.

The site defines terms such as common ancestor, gradual process, and adaptation. These terms help frame the nature of evolution and its relation to other concepts in science. The site then offers an overview of how the concept of evolution has been tested and validated. This information can be used to dispel misconceptions that have been created by the creationists.

It is also possible to find the glossary of terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:

Adaptation is the process of changing hereditary traits to become more suited to the environment. This is the result of natural selection. Organisms with more adaptable characteristics are more likely than those with less-adapted traits to survive and reproduce.

Common ancestor (also known as common ancestor) is the most recent ancestor shared by two or more species. By analyzing the DNA from these species, it is possible to determine the common ancestor.

Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A large biological molecular that holds the necessary information for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences which are strung into long chains called chromosomes. Mutations are the source of new genetic information in cells.

Coevolution is a relationship between two species in which evolutionary changes in one species are affected by changes in evolutionary processes in the other. Coevolution is evident through the interaction between predator and prey, or parasite and hosts.

Origins

Species (groups of individuals that can interbreed) change 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 mixing of gene pools. The development of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, like climate changes or competition for food resources and habitat, can slow or accelerate the process.

The Evolution site traces through time the emergence of various species of plants and animals, focusing on major transitions within each group's past. It also focuses on the human evolutionary roots, a topic that is particularly important for students to understand.

When Darwin wrote the Origin of Species, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been found. The famous skullcap, with the associated bones were discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now recognized as an early Homo neanderthalensis. 에볼루션 바카라 무료 is highly unlikely that Darwin was aware of the skullcap, which was first published in 1858, which was a year after the publication of the first edition of The Origin.

The site is mostly a biology site however, it also has lots of information about geology and paleontology. Among 에볼루션 바카라 무료체험 of the website are a set of timelines that show how geological and climatic conditions have changed over time, as well as an outline of the geographical distribution of some fossil groups listed on the site.

While the site is a companion to a PBS television show however, it can stand on its own as a valuable source for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and offers clear links to the introduction material of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's assistance) as well as the more specialized features of the museum website. These links make it easier to move from the cartoon-style Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated worlds of research science. There are links to John Endler’s experiments with guppies that demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.

Diversity

The evolution of life on Earth has led to a wide variety of animals, plants, and insects. Paleobiology, the study of these creatures within their geological environment, has many advantages over modern observational or experimental methods of studying evolutionary phenomena. Paleobiology can examine not only processes and events that happen frequently or over time, but also the distribution and frequency of different species of animals across the geological time.

The site is divided into several optional ways to learn about evolution, including "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a line through the nature of science and the evidence supporting the theory of evolution. The path also explores common misconceptions about evolution and the history of evolutionary thought.

Each of the other sections of the Evolution site is equally constructed, with materials that can be used to support a range of curriculum levels and pedagogical styles. The site includes a variety of interactive and multimedia resources that include animations, video clips and virtual labs in addition to general textual content. The content is laid out in a nested bread crumb fashion that aids 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 interaction with other organisms. Then, it concentrates on a specific 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, as well as the other multidisciplinary, multimedia, and interactive pages on the site, provide an excellent introduction to a wide range of topics in evolutionary biology. The material includes an explanation of the importance of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetics as a key method for understanding the evolution of change.

Evolutionary Theory

Evolution is an underlying thread that connects all branches of biology. A rich collection supports teaching evolution across the disciplines of life sciences.

One resource, the companion to PBS's television series Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of an Web page that provides depth and wide range of educational resources. The site features a wide range of interactive learning modules. It also features a "bread crumb structure" that assists students in moving away from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution and onto elements of this vast website that are closely connected to the realms of research science. Animation that introduces the concept of genetics, which links to a page about John Endler's experiments with artificial selection using Guppies living in ponds native to Trinidad.

Another useful resource is the Evolution Library on this Web website, which includes an extensive library of multimedia assets related to evolution. The content is organized according to courses that are based on curriculum and follow the learning objectives set out in the standards for biology. It includes seven short videos designed specifically for use in classrooms, and can be streamed for no cost or purchased on DVD.

Evolutionary biology is still a field of study with a lot of important questions, such as what causes evolution and how quickly it occurs. This is particularly true for the evolution of humans, where it was difficult to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humans have a distinct place in the creation and a soul, with the notion that human beings have innate physical traits originated from apes.

In addition, there are a number of ways that evolution could be triggered with natural selection being the most popular theory. However scientists also study other kinds of evolution like mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection, among other things.

While many scientific fields of study have a conflict with literal interpretations 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 to evolution while others haven't.