Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts by biology educators, misconceptions persist about evolution. Pop science fiction has led a lot of people to believe that biologists aren't believers in evolution.
This rich Web site, which is a complement to the PBS program offers teachers resources which support evolution education while avoiding the types of misconceptions which undermine it. It's organized in the "bread crumb" format to aid in navigation and orientation.
Definitions
It's difficult to teach evolution well. 에볼루션바카라사이트 is often misunderstood even by non-scientists, and even some scientists use a definition that confuses the issue. This is particularly applicable to debates about the nature of the word.
Therefore, it is important to define terms used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website provides this in a straightforward and useful manner. The site serves as a companion for the 2001 series, but also a resource of its own. The material is presented in a nested manner that assists in navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms like common ancestor and gradual process. These terms help to frame the nature of evolution as well as its relation to other scientific concepts. The site then offers an overview of how the concept of evolution has been vetted and validated. This information can be used to dispel myths that have been propagated by creationists.
It is also possible to access a glossary of terms that are 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, which occurs when organisms with better-adapted characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adapted characteristics.
Common ancestor: The most recent common ancestor of two or more different species. By analyzing 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 contained in sequences of nucleotides that are strung together to form long chains, called chromosomes. Mutations are the basis for new genetic information in cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species in which evolutionary changes in one species are dependent on evolutionary changes in the other. Examples of coevolution are the interactions between predator and prey, or host and parasite.
Origins
Species (groups that can interbreed) change through a series of natural changes in the traits of their offspring. These changes can be caused by various factors, including natural selection, gene drift and mixing of the gene pool. The development of a new species could take thousands of years, and the process may be slowed or increased by environmental factors like climate change or the competition for food or habitat.
The Evolution site tracks through time the evolution of various animal and plant groups with a focus on major changes within each group's past. It also explores the human evolutionary roots and humans, a subject that is particularly important for students to know.
Darwin's Origin was published in 1859, when only a handful of antediluvian fossils of humans had been found. Among them was the famous skullcap and associated bones found in 1856 at the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany which is now believed to be an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is unlikely that Darwin was aware of the skullcap, which was published in 1858, which was a year after the publication of the first edition of The Origin.
The site is mostly an online biology resource, but it also contains many details on geology and paleontology. The website has several features that are especially impressive, such as a timeline of how climate and geological conditions have changed over the course of time. It also includes a map showing the distribution of fossil groups.
The site is a companion for the PBS TV series but it could be used as a resource for teachers and students. The site is extremely well-organized and offers clear links between the introductory information in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more specialized components of the museum's Web site. These hyperlinks make it easier to transition from the cartoon-style Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated worlds of research science. In particular, there are links to John Endler's experiments with Guppies that demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life has led to an array of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology, the study of these creatures in their geological context, has many advantages over modern observational or experimental methods for exploring evolutionary processes. Paleobiology focuses on not just the processes and events that take place regularly or over time but also the distribution and frequency of different species of animals across geological time.
The site is divided up into several routes that can be taken to study the subject of evolution. One of these paths, "Evolution 101," walks the reader through the complexities and evidence of evolution. The path also reveals common misconceptions about evolution as well as the evolution of thought.
Each of the other sections of the Evolution site is equally well developed, with materials that support a variety of educational levels and pedagogical styles. In addition to the standard textual content, the site features an extensive selection of multimedia and interactive content including video clips, animations, and virtual labs. The breadcrumb-like arrangement of the content assists with navigation and orientation on the vast Web site.
For example, the page "Coral Reef Connections" gives a brief overview of coral relationships and their interactions with other organisms. Then, it narrows down to a single clam that is able to communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in water conditions at the reef level. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary interactive and multimedia pages offers a great introduction to many topics in evolutionary biology. The content also includes an explanation of the role of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetic analysis which is a crucial tool for understanding the evolution of changes.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students, evolution is a key thread that binds all branches of the field. A rich collection of resources can help teachers teach about evolution across the life sciences.
One resource, which is a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an exceptional example of an Web site that offers both depth and a variety of educational resources. The site has a wide array of interactive learning modules. It also features an embedded "bread crumb" structure that allows students to transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this massive website that are more closely tied to the world of research science. For instance, an animation introducing the concept of genetic inheritance links to a page that highlights John Endler's artificial selection experiments with guppies in native ponds of Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website has a huge multimedia library of materials that deal to evolution. The contents are organized into curricula-based pathways that correspond to the learning objectives outlined in biology standards. It contains seven videos designed for classroom use. They can be streamed or purchased as DVDs.
A number of important questions remain at the core of evolutionary biology, including what causes evolution to occur and the speed at which it occurs. This is especially applicable to human evolution which has made it difficult to reconcile the notion that the innate physical characteristics of humans were derived from apes and religious beliefs that claim that humanity is unique among living things and holds a a special place in creation, with soul.
In addition there are a variety of ways that evolution could occur and natural selection is the most popular theory. However scientists also study other kinds of evolution like mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection, among others.
While many scientific fields of study have a conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts, the concept of evolution biology has been a source of intense debate and opposition from religious fundamentalists. While some religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the notions of evolution, others have not.