Why All The Fuss About Evolution Site

Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution

Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misconceptions about evolution remain. Pop science nonsense has led many people to think that biologists don't believe in evolution.

This rich website - companion to the PBS series - provides teachers with materials which support evolution education and avoids the kinds of misconceptions that make it difficult to understand. It's laid out in the "bread crumb" format to aid in navigation and orientation.

Definitions

Evolution is a complex and difficult subject matter to teach well. It is often misunderstood by non-scientists and even some scientists have been guilty of using a definition that confuses the issue. This is particularly true when it comes to discussions on the nature of the word.

It is therefore essential to define the terms used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a simple and efficient manner. It is an accompanying site for the 2001 series, but also a resource of its own. The material is presented in a structured manner that makes it simpler to navigate and understand.

The site defines terms like common ancestor and 에볼루션 바카라 사이트 gradual process. These terms help frame the nature and relationship of evolution to other scientific concepts. The website then provides an overview of how the concept of evolution has been researched and verified. This information can be used to dispel misconceptions that have been created by creationists.

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

Adaptation is the tendency of heritable traits to become better suited to an environment. This is due to natural selection. It occurs when organisms that are better-adapted characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adaptable traits.

Common ancestor: The latest common ancestor of two or 에볼루션 바카라 more different species. By analyzing DNA from these species it is possible to identify the common ancestor.

Deoxyribonucleic acid: A large biological molecule that contains information needed for 에볼루션 슬롯바카라 - telegra.Ph - cell replication. The information is contained in a sequence of nucleotides that are strung together into long chains, also known as chromosomes. Mutations are the reason behind the creation of new genetic information inside cells.

Coevolution: A relationship between two species in which evolutionary changes in one species are dependent on evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution is evident in the interaction of predator and prey, or parasite and hosts.

Origins

Species (groups of individuals who can interbreed) evolve through natural changes in the traits of their offspring. The changes can be triggered by a variety, including natural selection, genetic drift and gene pool mixing. The evolution of a new species could take thousands of years, and the process could be slowed down or accelerated by environmental factors like climate change or competition for food or habitat.

The Evolution site follows the evolution of different species of plants and animals and focuses on major changes in each group's past. It also focuses on human evolution as a subject that is particularly important to students.

Darwin's Origin was published in 1859, when just a handful of antediluvian fossils of humans were discovered. One of them was the infamous 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. While the skullcap wasn't published until 1858, a year before the first edition of the Origin was published, it is highly unlikely that Darwin had seen or heard of it.

The site is primarily one of biology however it also includes many details on geology and paleontology. The most impressive features on the site are a set of timelines that 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.

The site is a companion for the PBS television series, but it can also be used as an educational resource by teachers and students. The site is very well organized and provides clear links between the introductory content in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more sophisticated components of the museum's Web site. These hyperlinks make it easier to transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated realms of research science. In particular, there are links to John Endler's experiments using Guppies, which demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.

Diversity

The evolution of life on Earth has resulted in a variety of animals, plants, and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures within their geological context and has a number of advantages over the current observational and experimental methods of examining evolutionary processes. In addition to exploring the processes and events that happen regularly or over a lengthy period of time, paleobiology allows to analyze the relative abundance of various kinds of organisms as well as their distribution throughout the course of geological time.

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

Each of the other sections of the Evolution site is equally well 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 which include animations, video clips and virtual labs in addition to general textual content. The content is laid out in a nested bread crumb style that facilitates navigation and orientation within the vast web site.

The page "Coral Reef Connections", for example, provides an overview of the coral's relationships and interactions with other organisms and zooms in to a single clam, which is able communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in conditions of the water that occur at the reef level. This page, 에볼루션 바카라 무료 as well as the other multidisciplinary interactive and multimedia pages provides an excellent introduction to a variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The material includes an explanation of the role of natural selectivity and the concept phylogenetics analysis which is a crucial tool for understanding evolutionary change.

Evolutionary Theory

Evolution is a common thread that connects all branches of biology. A rich collection of resources helps teachers teach about evolution across all life sciences.

One resource, which is a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an excellent example of a Web site that provides the depth and breadth of its educational resources. The site has a wide array 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 more closely linked to the world of research science. An animation that introduces students to the concept of genetics links to a page that highlights John Endler's experiments in artificial selection using Guppies living in ponds native to Trinidad.

Another resource that is worth mentioning is the Evolution Library on this website, which includes an extensive collection of multimedia items connected to evolution. The content is organized in curriculum-based pathways that correspond to the learning goals set forth in the biology standards. It contains seven videos that are designed for use in classrooms. They are available to stream or purchase as DVDs.

Many important questions remain in the midst of evolutionary biology, including the factors that trigger evolution and how fast it occurs. This is especially relevant to human evolution, where it's been difficult to reconcile the idea that the physical characteristics of humans evolved from apes, and the religious beliefs that claim that humanity is unique in the universe and has an exclusive place in the creation, with a soul.

There are a myriad of other ways evolution can occur including natural selection, which is the most popular theory. However scientists also study other kinds of evolution, such as mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection, among others.

Many fields of inquiry have a conflict with literal interpretations of religious texts Evolutionary biology has been the subject of particularly controversial debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have managed to reconcile their beliefs with the theories of evolution, other religions have not.