Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts by biology educators, there are still a lot of misconceptions about the evolution. Pop science nonsense has led many people to believe that biologists don't believe evolution.
This rich Web site - companion to the PBS series - provides teachers with materials that promote evolution education and help avoid the kinds of myths that undermine it. It's organized in a "bread crumb" format to facilitate navigation and orientation.
Definitions
It is difficult to properly teach evolution. It is often misunderstood even by non-scientists, and even some scientists have been guilty of using an interpretation that is confusing the issue. This is especially applicable to debates about the nature of the word.
It is therefore important to define the terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website does this in an easy and helpful way. It is an accompaniment to the 2001 series, but it is also a resource on its own. The material is presented in a structured manner that makes it simpler to navigate and comprehend.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor and the gradual process. These terms help frame the nature of evolution and its relationship to evolution to other concepts in science. The site gives a comprehensive overview of the manner in which evolution has been tested. This information can be used to dispel myths that have been created by creationists.
It is also possible to find the glossary of terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency of heritable characteristics to become more adaptable to a specific environment. This is the result of natural selection, which occurs when organisms that are better adapted characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adaptable traits.
Common ancestor (also called common ancestor) The most recent ancestor that is shared by two or more species. By analyzing DNA from these species, it is possible to identify the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A massive biological molecular containing the information required for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences that are strung into long chains called chromosomes. Mutations are the cause of new genetic information in cells.
Coevolution: A relationship between two species in which evolutionary changes in one species are affected by changes in evolutionary processes in the other. Examples of coevolution include the interaction between predator and prey, or the parasite and the host.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals that are able to interbreed) develop through natural changes in the characteristics of their offspring. These changes are caused by a variety that include natural selection, genetic drift, and mixing of genes. The evolution of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental circumstances, such as climate change or competition for food resources and habitat, can slow or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site tracks through time the emergence of various species of plants and animals with a focus on major changes within each group's past. It also focuses on the evolutionary origin of humans which is particularly important for students to understand.
When Darwin wrote the Origin, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been discovered. The most famous among them was the skullcap and bones that were discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany that is now thought to be an early Homo neanderthalensis. Although the skullcap was not published until 1858, which was a year before the first edition of the Origin was published, it is very unlikely that Darwin had seen or heard of it.
While the site is focused on biology, it also contains a wealth of information about geology and paleontology. Among the best features on the site are a set of timelines which show how climatic and geological conditions have changed over time and an outline of the distribution of a few fossil groups listed on the site.
While the site is a companion to a PBS television series but it also stands on its own as a great resource for teachers and students. 에볼루션 바카라 무료체험 is very well-organized and has clear links between the introductory material 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 easy to transition from the cartoon-style Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated worlds of research science. Particularly there are links to John Endler's experiments using Guppies that demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life on Earth has produced a diversity of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology, the study of these creatures within their geological context offers many advantages over modern observational or research methods of studying evolutionary phenomena. In addition to exploring processes and events that take place regularly or over a lengthy period of time, paleobiology allows to study the diversity of species of organisms and their distribution in space over the course of geological time.
The site is divided into a variety of ways to learn about evolution that include "Evolution 101," which takes the user on a linear path through the nature of science and the evidence that supports the theory of evolution. The course also focuses on misconceptions about evolution, and also the history of evolutionary thinking.
Each of the other sections of the Evolution site is similarly developed, with materials that can be used to support a range of different pedagogical levels and curriculum levels. The site includes a variety of interactive and multimedia resources which include video clips, animations 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 example, the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides a comprehensive overview of the relationships between corals and their interactions with other organisms. It then zooms in on a single clam that is able to communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in the water conditions that occur at the level of the reef. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary, multimedia, and interactive pages on the website, provide an excellent introduction to a broad spectrum of topics in evolutionary biology. The content also includes a discussion of the role of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetic analysis which is a key tool for understanding the evolution of changes.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students evolution is a crucial thread that connects all branches of the field. A vast collection of resources helps teachers teach about evolution across the life sciences.
One resource, which is a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an excellent example of an Web site that offers both the depth and breadth of its educational resources. The site offers a range of interactive learning modules. It also has a "bread crumb structure" that allows students to move away from the cartoon style used in Understanding Evolution and onto elements of this vast website that are closely linked to the fields of research science. For instance an animation that explains the concept of genetic inheritance links to a page that focuses on John Endler's experiments in artificial selection with guppies from the native ponds of Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website has a huge multimedia library of resources that are associated to evolution. The content is organized into curriculum-based pathways that correspond to the learning goals set forth in biology standards. It includes seven short videos specifically intended for use in the classroom. These can be streamed or purchased as DVDs.
Evolutionary biology is an area of study that poses many important questions, including the causes of evolution and the speed at which it happens. This is especially true in the case of human evolution which was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humanity has a unique place in creation and a soul with the notion that human beings have innate physical traits were derived from the apes.
There are a variety of other ways evolution can occur and natural selection being the most well-known theory. However, scientists also study other types of evolution such as mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection, among others.
While many fields of scientific study have a conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts, evolution biology has been a subject of intense debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. Certain religions have embraced their beliefs with evolutionary biology, but others haven't.