Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology teachers, there are still misconceptions about the evolution. Pop science nonsense has led many people to believe that biologists aren't believers in evolution.
This rich Web site, a companion to the PBS program offers teachers resources that support the evolution of education, while avoiding the kinds of misconceptions which make it difficult to understand. It's organized in a nested "bread crumb" format to make it easy for navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complex and challenging subject to teach effectively. Many non-scientists are unable to grasp the concept, and some scientists even use a definition that confuses it. This is especially relevant when discussing the meaning of the words themselves.
As such, it is essential to define terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website helps you define these terms in an easy and helpful manner. The site serves as an accompanying site for the 2001 series, but also a resource on its own. The content is presented in an organized way that makes it easy to navigate and comprehend.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor, gradual process and so on. These terms help define the nature of evolution and its relationship to evolution with other scientific concepts. The site also provides an overview of how the concept of evolution has been tested and confirmed. This information can be used to dispel the myths that have been propagated by creationists.
You can also access a glossary which includes terms that are used in evolutionary biology. 에볼루션사이트 include:
Adaptation is the process of changing hereditary traits to become more suited to the environment. This is due to natural selection, which occurs when organisms that are better-adapted traits are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adaptable traits.
Common ancestor: The most recent common ancestor of two or more species. The common ancestor can be identified by analyzing the DNA of those species.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A huge biological molecule that contains the information necessary for cell replication. The information is stored in sequences of nucleotides that are strung together into long chains, called chromosomes. Mutations are the source of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species in which evolutionary changes in one species are influenced by evolutionary changes in the other. Examples of coevolution are the interactions between predator and prey or parasite and host.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals who can interbreed) evolve through an array of natural changes in the characteristics of their offspring. 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 may be slowed down or accelerated due to environmental conditions, such as climate change or the competition for food or habitat.
The Evolution site follows the emergence of various groups of animals and plants with a focus on major changes within each group's past. It also examines the evolution of humans and is a subject of particular importance to students.
Darwin's Origin was published in 1859, when just a handful of antediluvian fossils of human beings had been discovered. The skullcap that is famous, along with the associated bones, was discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now regarded as an early Homo neanderthalensis. While the skullcap wasn't published until 1858, just a year before the first edition of the Origin was published, it is very unlikely that Darwin had heard or seen of it.
While the site focuses on biology, it includes a good deal of information about geology and paleontology. The Web site has several features that are particularly impressive, such as an overview of how climate and geological conditions have changed over time. It also features an interactive map that shows the location of fossil groups.
The site is a companion for a PBS television series, but it could also be used as a source for teachers and students. The site is very 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 elements of the museum Web site. These hyperlinks facilitate the move from the engaging cartoon style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. There are also links to John Endler's experiments with guppies that illustrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life has resulted in an array 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. Paleobiology can examine not only processes and events that take place regularly or over time but also the relative abundance and distribution of various animal groups in space over the course of the geological time.
The site is divided into a variety of paths to learning evolution that include "Evolution 101," which takes the user on a linear path through the scientific process and the evidence that supports the theory of evolution. The path also explores common misconceptions about evolution and the evolution theory's history.
Each of the main sections of the Evolution website is equally well-designed, with materials that can be used to support a variety of educational levels and teaching styles. The site offers a wide array of interactive and multimedia resources that include video clips, animations and virtual labs, in addition to its general textual content. The breadcrumb-like organization of the content aids in navigation and orientation on the large web site.
For instance the page "Coral Reef Connections" gives a brief overview of coral relationships and their interactions with other organisms, then zooms in on a single clam that is able to communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in the water conditions at the level of the reef. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary, multimedia, and interactive pages on the website, provide an excellent introduction to a wide spectrum of topics in evolutionary biology. The content also includes a discussion of the role of natural selection as well as the concept of phylogenetic analysis which is a crucial tool in understanding evolutionary change.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students the concept of evolution is a major thread that binds all the branches of the field. A rich collection supports teaching evolution across the disciplines of life science.
One resource, the companion to PBS's television series Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of a Web page that provides the depth and the wide range of educational resources. The site offers a variety of interactive learning modules. It also has an "bread crumb structure" that assists students in moving away from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution and onto elements on this site that are more closely related to the realms of research science. An animation that introduces students to the concept of genetics, which links to a page about John Endler's experiments with artificial selection using Guppies living in ponds native to Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website contains a large multimedia library of materials that deal to evolution. The content is organized according to curriculum-based pathways that correspond to the learning objectives outlined in biology standards. It includes seven short videos specifically designed for use in classrooms, and can be streamed at no cost or purchased on DVD.
Many important questions remain at the heart of evolutionary biology, such as the factors that trigger evolution and the speed at which it occurs. This is particularly relevant to human evolution, where it has been difficult to reconcile the idea that the physical characteristics of humans were derived from apes and religious beliefs that claim that humanity is unique among living things and holds a an exclusive place in the creation. It is a soul.
There are a myriad of other ways evolution can take place including natural selection, which is the most popular theory. However scientists also study different 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 the Bible evolutionary biology has been the subject of controversial debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. While some religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the ideas of evolution, others have not.