Why All The Fuss About Evolution Site
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 don't believe in evolution.
This site, which is a complement to the PBS program offers teachers resources that promote evolution education while avoiding the types of misconceptions that make it difficult to understand. It's organized in the "bread crumb" format to facilitate navigation and orientation.
Definitions
It's not easy to properly teach evolution. 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 relevant to debates about the nature of the word.
It is therefore essential to define the terms used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website provides this in an easy and helpful way. The website is a companion to the show that premiered in 2001, but can also function as an independent resource. The content is presented in a structured way that makes it easy to navigate and understand.
The site defines terms like common ancestor and the gradual process. These terms help define the nature and significance of evolution with other scientific concepts. The website provides a summary of the way the concept of evolution has been tested. This information can be used to dispel the myths that have been engendered by the creationists.
You can also access a glossary that includes terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
The process of adaptation is the tendency of heritable traits to become more suitable to their environment. This is a result of natural selection. Organisms with more adaptable traits are more likely than those with less adaptable traits to reproduce and survive.
Common ancestor: The latest common ancestor of two or more different species. The common ancestor can be identified through analyzing the DNA of the species.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A huge biological molecule that contains the information necessary for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotides arranged in sequences that are strung together to form long chains, also known as chromosomes. Mutations are responsible for 에볼루션바카라 the creation of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species in which the evolutionary changes of one species influence evolutionary changes of the other. Coevolution is evident in the interactions between predator and prey, or parasites and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups which can interbreed) change by a series of natural variations in the traits of their offspring. The causes of these changes are numerous factors, like natural selection, gene drift, and mixing of the gene pool. The evolution of a new species can take thousands of years and the process can be slowed or increased by environmental conditions such as climate change or competition for food or habitat.
The Evolution site traces through time the evolution of different groups of animals and plants and focuses on major changes within each group's past. It also focuses on human evolution as a subject that is particularly important for students.
Darwin's Origin was written in 1859, at a time when only a handful of antediluvian fossils of human beings had been discovered. Among them was the famous skullcap and bones that were discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany, which is now known to be an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is unlikely that Darwin knew about the skullcap, 에볼루션 슬롯 which was published in 1858, one year following the initial edition of The Origin. Origin.
While the site is focused on biology, 에볼루션 사이트 it also contains a wealth of information about geology and paleontology. The most impressive features of the website are a set of timelines that illustrate how climatic and geological conditions have changed over time, as well as an interactive map of the geographical distribution of some of the fossil groups featured on the site.
Although the site is a companion to a PBS television show but it also stands on its own as a great resource for teachers and students. The site is well-organized, and provides clear links to the introductory material of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's assistance) as well as the more specialized features on the museum's website. These hyperlinks make it easier to transition from the cartoon-style Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated realms of research science. There are links to John Endler’s experiments with guppies. They illustrate 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 is the study of these creatures in their geographical context and offers a number of advantages over the modern observational and research methods for analyzing evolutionary processes. Paleobiology focuses on not just the processes and events that happen frequently or over time, but also the relative abundance and distribution of different species of animals in space throughout geological time.
The site is divided into several routes that can be taken to learn about evolution. One of these paths, "Evolution 101," guides the user through the nature and evidence of evolution. The path also explores misconceptions about evolution, as well as the history of evolutionary thought.
Each of the main sections on the Evolution website is equally well-designed, with materials that support a variety curriculum levels and 에볼루션바카라 teaching styles. In addition to the standard textual content, the site also has an array of multimedia and interactive content, such as video clips, animations, and virtual laboratories. 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, their interaction with other organisms and is enlarged to show one clam that is able to communicate with its neighbors and react to changes in conditions of the water at the reef level. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary, multimedia, and interactive pages on the website, provide an excellent introduction to the broad variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The content includes an overview of the role of natural selectivity and the concept phylogenetics analysis which is a crucial tool to understand evolutionary change.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is a common thread that is found throughout all branches of biology. A vast collection of books helps in teaching evolution across all disciplines of life sciences.
One resource, a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an excellent example of a Web site that provides depth and a variety of educational resources. The site offers a variety of interactive learning modules. It also has an embedded "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 tied to the field of research science. An animation that introduces students to the concept of genetics is linked to a page about John Endler's artificial-selection experiments with guppies on native ponds in Trinidad.
Another useful resource is the Evolution Library on this Web site, which has an extensive multimedia library of items related to evolution. The contents are organized into curriculum-based paths that parallel the learning goals established in the biology standards. It contains seven videos designed specifically for use in classrooms, and can be streamed for no cost or purchased on DVD.
Many important questions remain at the core of evolutionary biology, including what triggers evolution and how fast it happens. This is particularly true in the case of human evolution which was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that humanity has a special position in the universe and a soul, with the notion that our physical traits originated from apes.
There are a myriad of other ways in which evolution can take place including natural selection, which is the most popular theory. However, scientists also study other types of evolution such as genetic drift, 에볼루션 바카라사이트바카라사이트 (Emseyi.Com) mutation, and sexual selection, among other things.
Although many scientific fields of study conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts, evolution biology has been the subject of intense controversy and opposition from religious fundamentalists. Some religions have reconciled their beliefs with evolution, while others haven't.