Why Evolution Site Is Your Next Big Obsession
Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misinformation about evolution persist. People who have been exposed to pop science nonsense often assume that biologists are saying they do not 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 misinformation that can hinder it. It's arranged in a nested "bread crumb" format to make it easy for navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complex and difficult subject to teach effectively. Non-scientists often misunderstand the subject, and some scientists even use a definition which confuses it. This is particularly true when it comes to discussions on the nature of the word.
As such, it is important to define terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website does this in a simple and efficient way. The website is a companion to the show that premiered in 2001, but it also functions as an independent resource. The material is presented in a nested fashion which aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor and gradual process. These terms help frame the nature of evolution as well as its relation to other scientific concepts. The site also provides an overview of how the concept of evolution has been researched and validated. This information can be used to dispel the myths that have been engendered by the creationists.
It is also possible to access a glossary of terms that are used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
The process of 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 have better adapted characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adapted traits.
Common ancestor (also known as common ancestor) is the most recent ancestor shared by two or more species. The common ancestor can be identified by studying the DNA of those species.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A huge biological molecular that contains the information required for 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 basis for 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 interactions between predator and prey or the parasite and the host.
Origins
Species (groups which can interbreed) develop by a series of natural variations in their offspring's traits. The changes can be triggered by a variety that include natural selection, 에볼루션 바카라 무료, fatahal.Com, genetic drift, and gene pool mixing. The evolution of a new species may take thousands of years and the process could be slowed or increased due to environmental conditions, such as climate change or competition for food or habitat.
The Evolution site tracks the development of a variety of animal and plant groups through time with a focus on the key changes that took place in each group's history. It also focuses on the evolutionary origin of humans and humans, a subject that is especially important for students to comprehend.
Darwin's Origin was written in 1859, when only a few antediluvian fossils of humans were discovered. The famous skullcap, 에볼루션 바카라 체험 코리아 (linked website) along with the bones associated with it were discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now known as an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is highly unlikely that Darwin was aware of the skullcap, 바카라 에볼루션 which was published in 1858, which was a year following the initial edition of The Origin.
While the site is focused on biology, it contains a wealth of information about geology as well as paleontology. One of the most appealing features of the website are a series of timelines which show how geological and climatic conditions have changed over time and an outline of the distribution of a few of the fossil groups featured on the site.
The site is a companion to the PBS television series, but it can be used as a resource by teachers and students. The site is well organized and provides 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 of Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated worlds of research science. Particularly, there are links to John Endler's experiments using guppies that illustrate 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 in their geographical context and offers many advantages over the modern observational and research methods of examining evolutionary processes. In addition to examining the processes and events that happen frequently or over a long period of time, paleobiology is able to analyze the relative abundance of various groups of organisms and their distribution throughout the course of geological time.
The site is divided into various pathways to understanding evolution that include "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a line through the science of nature and the evidence that supports the theory of evolution. The path also explores misconceptions regarding evolution, and the background of evolutionary thought.
Each of the other main sections of the Evolution site is equally well created, 에볼루션카지노사이트 with resources that can support a variety of curriculum levels and 에볼루션 pedagogical styles. In addition to general textual content, the site features a wide range of interactive and multimedia resources including videos, animations, and virtual laboratories. The breadcrumb-like organization of the content assists with navigation and orientation on the vast Web site.
For instance, the page "Coral Reef Connections" gives a brief overview of the relationships between corals and their interaction with other organisms. Then, it zooms in on a single 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 interactive and multimedia pages, gives a good introduction to many topics in evolutionary biology. The material also provides a discussion of the role of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetic analysis, which is an important method to understand evolutionary change.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is an underlying thread that connects all branches of biology. A vast collection of books helps in teaching evolution across the disciplines of life science.
One resource, which is a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an outstanding example of a Web site that provides depth and breadth in its educational resources. The site offers a variety of interactive learning modules. It also has a nested "bread crumb" structure that allows students to move from the cartoon-like 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 that explains the notion of genetic inheritance leads to a page that highlights John Endler's artificial selection experiments using guppies in the ponds of his native country of Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website contains a large multimedia library of assets related with evolution. The content is organized into curriculum-based paths that parallel the learning objectives set out in the standards for biology. It includes seven short videos that are designed for classroom use. These can be viewed online or purchased as DVDs.
Many important questions remain at the heart of evolutionary biology, such as what causes evolution to occur and how fast it happens. This is particularly relevant for the evolution of humans where it was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humans have a distinct place in creation and a soul, with the idea that innate physical traits were derived from apes.
In addition there are a variety of ways that evolution could be triggered with natural selection being the most widely accepted theory. However, scientists also study other kinds of evolution like mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection, among other things.
While many scientific fields of inquiry have a conflict with literal interpretations of religious texts evolutionary biology has been the subject of particularly intense controversy and resistance from religious fundamentalists. Some religions have reconciled their beliefs with evolutionary biology, while others haven't.