5 Evolution Site Lessons From The Pros

Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution

Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misconceptions about evolution persist. People who have absorbed pop science nonsense often assume that biologists are saying they don't believe in evolution.

This rich Web site - companion to the PBS series It provides teachers with materials that promote evolution education and help avoid the kinds of myths that hinder it. It's laid out in the "bread crumb" format to facilitate navigation and orientation.

Definitions

Evolution is a complicated and difficult subject to teach well. It is often misunderstood by non-scientists and even some scientists have been guilty of using definitions that confuse the issue. This is especially true when discussing the meaning of the words themselves.

It is important to define terms used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website provides this in an easy and helpful way. The site is a companion to the series that first aired in 2001, but also functions as an independent resource. The content is organized in a manner that makes it easier to navigate and understand.

The site defines terms such as common ancestor (or 에볼루션 바카라 무료체험 에볼루션 무료 바카라 [visit the next document] common ancestor), gradual process, and adaptation. These terms help to frame the nature of evolution as well as its relation to other concepts in science. The site also provides an overview of how the concept of evolution has been vetted and confirmed. This information can help dispel the myths created by creationists.

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

Adaptation is the tendency of heritable traits to be more suited to the environment. This is the result of natural selection, which occurs when organisms with more adaptable traits are more likely survive and reproduce than those with less adaptable traits.

Common ancestor: The latest common ancestor of two or more different species. The common ancestor can be identified by studying the DNA of the species.

Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A huge biological molecular that holds the information required for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences that are strung into long chains, referred to as chromosomes. Mutations are the source of new genetic information in cells.

Coevolution is a relationship between two species where evolution of one species influence evolutionary changes of the other. Examples of coevolution are the interactions between predator and prey or host and parasite.

Origins

Species (groups that can crossbreed) change through a series of natural changes in the traits of their offspring. These changes can be caused by numerous factors, like 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 down or accelerated due to environmental conditions, such as climate change or the competition for food or habitat.

The Evolution site tracks the evolution of a variety of animal and plant groups through time and focuses on the most significant transitions that occurred in the evolution of each group's history. It also explores human evolution and is a subject that is of particular interest for students.

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

The site is mostly an online biology resource however, it also has many details on geology and paleontology. The most impressive features of the Web site are a set of timelines which show the way in which climatic and geological conditions have changed over time and a map of the distribution of some fossil groups that are featured on the site.

While the site is a companion piece to a PBS television show however, it can stand on its own as a valuable resource for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and provides easy links to the introductory information of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's assistance) and the more specific features on the museum's website. These hyperlinks facilitate the move from the enthralling cartoon style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. There are links to John Endler's experiments with guppies that illustrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.

Diversity

The evolution of life has produced an array of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures in their geological context and has a number of advantages over modern observational and experimental methods of examining evolutionary processes. In addition to exploring processes and events that occur frequently or over a long period of time, paleobiology is able to examine the diversity of kinds of organisms as well as their distribution throughout the geological time.

The website is divided into several options to learn about evolution. One of these paths, "Evolution 101," guides the user through the nature and evidence of evolution. The path also examines myths about evolution, as well as the history of evolutionary thinking.

Each of the other main sections of the Evolution site is similarly constructed, with materials that can support a variety of curriculum levels and pedagogical styles. The site offers a wide array of interactive and multimedia resources which include animations, video clips and virtual labs in addition to general textual content. The breadcrumb-like arrangement of the content assists with navigation and orientation on the massive website.

The page "Coral Reef Connections", for example, gives a brief overview of the relationships between corals and interactions with other organisms and then zooms in on a single clam, which is able communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in conditions of the water at the reef level. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary interactive and multimedia pages, gives a good introduction to the many areas of evolutionary biology. The content includes an explanation of the role of natural selectivity and the concept of phylogenetics analysis which is a crucial method for understanding the evolution of changes.

Evolutionary Theory

Evolution is a common thread that connects all branches of biology. A vast collection of books helps in teaching evolution across the disciplines of life sciences.

One resource, which is the companion to PBS's television show Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of a Web site that provides depth and broadness in terms of educational resources. The site offers a range of interactive learning modules. It also features a nested "bread crumb" structure that helps students transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this massive website that are more closely linked to the field of research science. An animation that introduces students to the concept of genetics, which links to a page that highlights John Endler's artificial-selection experiments with Guppies in native ponds in Trinidad.

Another helpful resource is the Evolution Library on this web site, which has an extensive library of multimedia resources related to evolution. The content is organized according to curriculum-based pathways that correspond to the learning goals set forth in biology standards. It contains seven short videos intended for use in the classroom. These can be streamed or purchased as DVDs.

Many important questions remain at the heart of evolutionary biology, including what triggers evolution and how fast it happens. This is particularly relevant for humans' evolution which was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that humanity has a unique position in the universe and a soul, with the notion that human beings have innate physical traits were derived from Apes.

Additionally there are a myriad of ways that evolution could be triggered, with natural selection being the most widely accepted theory. However scientists also study different kinds of evolution like genetic drift, mutation, and sexual selection, among others.

While many scientific fields of study are in conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts, 에볼루션 바카라 무료 (dog-breeder-society.involve.me) the concept of evolution biology has been the subject of intense debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the theories of evolution, other religions have not.