Why All The Fuss Evolution Site
Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts by biology educators, there are still a lot of misconceptions about evolution. People who have been exposed to the nonsense of pop science often believe that biologists claim they don't believe in evolution.
This rich Web site - companion to the PBS series offers teachers with resources that support evolution education and avoids the kinds of myths that hinder it. It's organized in a "bread crumb" format to aid in navigation and orientation.
Definitions
It's not easy to effectively teach evolution. It is often misunderstood by non-scientists and even scientists have been guilty of using an interpretation that is confusing the issue. This is especially true when discussing the nature of the words themselves.
As such, it is important to define terms that are used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a clear and useful way. The website is a companion to the show which first aired in 2001, but can also function as an independent resource. The content is presented in a structured manner that makes it simpler to navigate and comprehend.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor, gradual process and so on. These terms help frame the nature of evolution and its relationship to other concepts in science. The site gives a comprehensive overview of the manner that evolution has been tested. This information will help to dispel the myths that are created by the creationists.
You can also consult a glossary that includes terms that are used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency for hereditary traits to become more adaptable to a specific environment. This is due to natural selection, which occurs when organisms with more adaptable characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adaptable characteristics.
Common ancestor: The latest common ancestor of two or more different species. By analyzing DNA from these species, it is possible to identify the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A large biological molecular that contains the information needed for cell replication. The information is contained in nucleotides arranged in sequences that are strung together into long chains, called chromosomes. Mutations are the reason behind the creation of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution is the relationship between two species in which the evolutionary changes of one species are influenced by evolutionary changes in the other. Examples of coevolution include the interaction between predator 에볼루션 카지노 에볼루션 무료 바카라체험 (England-weiner-4.Blogbright.net) and prey, or parasite and host.
Origins
Species (groups that can crossbreed) develop through a series natural changes in their offspring's traits. Changes can be caused by numerous factors, like natural selection, gene drift, and mixing of the gene pool. The evolution of new species could take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, like climate change or competition for food or habitat, can slow or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site tracks the development of a variety of species of plants and animals over time, focusing on the major shifts that occurred throughout the history of each group. It also examines the evolution of humans as a subject of particular importance to students.
Darwin's Origin was written in 1859, when just a handful of antediluvian fossils of humans had been found. The skullcap that is famous, along with the bones associated with it, was discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now regarded as an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is highly unlikely that Darwin knew about the skullcap, which was published in 1858, a year following the initial edition of The Origin.
While the site is focused on biology, it includes a good deal of information on geology and paleontology. The site offers a number of features that are especially impressive, such as a timeline of how geological and climate conditions have changed over time. It also features a map showing the distribution of fossil groups.
While the site is a companion piece to the PBS television show but it also stands on its own as a great resource for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and offers easy links to the introductory material of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's assistance) and the more specific features of the museum's website. These links facilitate the transition from the enthralling cartoon style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. Particularly there are hyperlinks to John Endler's research with Guppies that demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life on Earth has led to a wide variety of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology, the study of these creatures within their geological environment offers many advantages over modern observational or research methods for exploring evolutionary phenomena. In addition to examining processes and events that occur regularly or over a lengthy period of time, paleobiology can be used to analyze the diversity of species of organisms and their distribution in space over geological time.
The website is divided into different routes that can be taken to gain knowledge about evolution. One of the paths, "Evolution 101," takes the viewer through the nature and evidence of evolution. The path also reveals common misconceptions about evolution and the history of evolutionary thought.
Each of the main sections on the Evolution website is equally well-developed, with materials that support a variety levels of curriculum and teaching methods. The site includes a variety of multimedia and interactive resources that include videos, animations, and virtual laboratories, in addition to its general textual content. The breadcrumb-like structure of the content assists with navigation and orientation on the massive website.
The page "Coral Reef Connections" For instance, the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides a comprehensive overview of coral relationships and their interactions with other organisms and zooms in to a single clam, which is able communicate with its neighbors and react to changes in the water conditions that occur on the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary, multimedia and interactive pages on the site, provide an excellent introduction to a wide range of topics in evolutionary biology. The content also includes an overview of the importance of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetic analysis, which is an important tool in understanding evolutionary change.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students, evolution is a key thread that weaves together all the branches of the field. A vast collection of books helps in teaching evolution across the disciplines of life science.
One resource, the companion to PBS's television show Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of a Web site that provides depth as well as wide range of educational resources. The site has a variety of interactive learning modules. It also features an "bread crumb structure" that assists students in moving away from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution and onto elements of this vast website that are closely linked to the realms of research science. For example, an animation introducing the concept of genetic inheritance links to a page that focuses on John Endler's experiments with artificial selection with guppies in 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 in the form of curriculum-based pathways that are in line with 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 in the midst of evolutionary biology, such as what triggers evolution and 에볼루션사이트 [Italianculture.Net] the speed at which it occurs. This is particularly applicable to human evolution where it's been difficult to reconcile that the physical characteristics of humans derived from apes and religious beliefs that hold that humans are unique among living things and has a special place in creation. It is soul.
In addition there are a variety of ways that evolution could be triggered and natural selection is the most popular theory. Scientists also study different types like mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection.
While many scientific fields of study are in conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts, evolution biology has been a source of intense debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. Some religions have reconciled their beliefs with evolution, while others haven't.