10 Healthy Evolution Site Habits
Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misconceptions about evolution persist. People who have taken in the nonsense of pop science often believe that biologists are saying they do not believe in evolution.
This site, which is a companion to the PBS series offers teachers with resources that promote evolution education and avoids the kinds of misinformation that can undermine it. It's arranged in a nested "bread crumb" format for ease of navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complex and difficult subject to teach effectively. It is often misunderstood by non-scientists, and even scientists use a definition that confuses the issue. This is especially applicable to discussions on the nature of the word.
It is essential to define terms used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a clear and helpful way. The site is both an accompanying site for the 2001 series, and it is also a resource on its own. The material is presented in a way that aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms like common ancestor, gradual process, and adaptation. These terms help frame the nature and relationship of evolution to other scientific concepts. The site then offers an overview of how the concept of evolution has been researched and confirmed. This information can help dispel myths created by creationists.
It is also possible to get a glossary of terms that are used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency of heritable traits to become better suitable to a particular setting. This is a result of natural selection. Organisms with more adaptable traits are more likely than those with less-adapted traits to reproduce and survive.
Common ancestor: The latest common ancestor of two or more species. By studying the DNA of these species it is possible to identify the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A huge biological molecular containing the information required for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences, which are strung into long chains called chromosomes. Mutations are responsible for the creation of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution: 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 parasite and host.
Origins
Species (groups that can interbreed) change through a series of natural changes in their offspring's traits. 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 could be slowed down or speeded up by environmental factors like climate change or competition for food or habitat.
The Evolution site tracks the development of a number of different groups of animals and plants over time, focusing on the major transitions that occurred in each group's history. It also explores human evolution, which is a topic that is of particular interest for students.
When Darwin wrote the Origin in 1859, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been discovered. The famous skullcap, along with the associated bones were discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now known as an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is unlikely that Darwin was aware of the skullcap, which was first published in 1858, one year following the initial edition of The Origin.
While the site focuses on biology, it offers a lot of information on geology and paleontology. Among the best features on the site are a series of timelines which show the way in which climatic and geological conditions have changed over time as well as an outline of the distribution of some fossil groups that are featured on the site.
The site is a companion to a PBS television series, but it can also be used as a resource for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and offers clear links to the introductory content of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's funding) and the more specialized features of the museum website. These links facilitate the transition from the engaging cartoon style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. Particularly there are hyperlinks 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 in their geographical context and offers many advantages over the current observational and experimental methods of examining evolutionary processes. In addition to examining processes and 에볼루션 바카라 events that occur frequently or over a long period of time, paleobiology is able to analyze the relative abundance of various species of organisms and their distribution throughout geological time.
The website is divided into various paths that can be chosen to study the subject of evolution. One of the paths, "Evolution 101," takes the viewer through the evolution of nature and the evidence of evolution. The path also explores common misconceptions about evolution as well as the history of evolutionary thought.
Each of the other major sections of the Evolution site is similarly constructed, with materials that can be used to support a range of curriculum levels and pedagogical styles. In addition to general textual content, 에볼루션 바카라 무료체험 바카라 체험 (Theflatearth.Win) the site offers an array of multimedia and interactive resources like videos, animations and virtual laboratories. 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 the relationships between corals and their interactions with other organisms, then concentrates on a specific clam that can communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in water conditions at the reef level. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary, multimedia, and interactive pages on the site, provide an excellent introduction to the broad variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The content includes an explanation of the role of natural selectivity and the concept phylogenetics analysis as a key tool to understand evolutionary changes.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is an underlying thread that connects all branches of biology. A rich collection supports teaching evolution across all disciplines of life sciences.
One resource, a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an excellent example of an Web site that provides depth and breadth in its educational resources. The site offers a variety of interactive learning modules. It also has a "bread crumb structure" that allows students to move away from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution and onto elements on this large website more closely related to the realms of research science. For instance an animation that introduces the concept of genetic inheritance links to a page that highlights John Endler's experiments in artificial selection with guppies from the native ponds of Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website has a huge multimedia library of materials that deal to evolution. The content is organized in curriculum-based pathways that correspond to the learning objectives set out in the standards for biology. It contains seven videos specifically designed for classroom use. They are available to stream or purchase as DVDs.
A number of important questions remain in the midst of evolutionary biology, including the factors that trigger evolution and the speed at which it occurs. This is especially true in the case of human evolution where it was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humans have a distinct position in the universe and a soul with the idea that innate physical traits were derived from apes.
There are a myriad of other ways in which evolution could occur including natural selection, 에볼루션 바카라 사이트 무료체험 (helpful resources) which is the most popular theory. Scientists also study other types such as mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection.
While many fields of scientific study are in conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts, the concept of evolution biology has been a subject of intense debate and opposition from religious fundamentalists. Some religions have reconciled their beliefs with evolution, while others haven't.