Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts by biology teachers, there are still misconceptions about the evolution. Pop science fiction has led a lot of people to believe that biologists don't believe evolution.
This site, which is a companion to the PBS series - provides teachers with materials that support evolution education and avoid the kinds of misinformation that can hinder it. It's organized in a nested "bread crumb" format to make it easy for navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complex and difficult subject matter to teach well. It is often misunderstood by non-scientists, and even scientists use definitions that confuse the issue. This is especially true when it comes to discussions about the definition of the word itself.
It is therefore essential to define the terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website provides this in a simple and efficient way. The site serves as an accompaniment to the 2001 series, and also a resource of its own. The content is presented in a nested manner which aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms like common ancestor, gradual process, and adaptation. These terms help frame the nature of evolution and its relationship to evolution to other concepts in science. The site then offers an overview of how the concept of evolution has been tested and confirmed. This information can be used to dispel misconceptions that have been engendered by the creationists.
에볼루션게이밍 can also consult a glossary that contains terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
The process of adaptation is the tendency of hereditary traits to become more suited to the environment. This is a result of natural selection. Organisms that have better-adapted traits are more likely than those with less adaptable characteristics to survive and reproduce.
Common ancestor (also called common ancestor): The most recent ancestral ancestor shared by two or more species. The common ancestor can be identified by analyzing the DNA of those species.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A huge biological molecular that contains the information required for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences that are strung into long chains called chromosomes. Mutations are the cause of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species in which evolutionary changes in one species are dependent on evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution can be observed in the interaction of predator and prey, or parasites and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups which can interbreed) change through a series of natural changes in their offspring's traits. The changes can be caused by a variety of factors, including natural selection, genetic drift, and mixing of genes. The development of a new species may 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 tracks the development of a variety of groups of animals and plants over time with a focus on the key changes that took place in each group's history. It also explores human evolution as a subject 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 recognized as an early Homo neanderthalensis. While the skullcap wasn't published until 1858, which was one year before the first edition of the Origin was published, it's extremely unlikely that Darwin had seen or heard of it.
The site is mostly one of biology, but it also contains many details on paleontology and geology. The site offers numerous features that are particularly impressive, such as a timeline of the way that climate and geological conditions have changed over the course of time. It also has maps that show the locations of fossil groups.
The site is a companion for a PBS TV series but it could be used as a resource by teachers and students. The site is well-organized, and provides clear links to the introduction material of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's support) as well as the more specialized features on the museum's website. These hyperlinks make it easy to transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated realms of research science. Particularly there are hyperlinks to John Endler's experiments with Guppies, which demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life has produced a variety of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures within their natural environment and has a number of advantages over the modern observational and research methods for analyzing evolutionary processes. In addition to exploring processes and events that take place regularly or over a lengthy period of time, paleobiology is able to examine the relative abundance of different kinds of organisms as well as their distribution throughout geological time.
The website is divided into several optional ways to learn about evolution, including "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a liner path through the nature of science and the evidence that supports the theory of evolution. The course also focuses on misconceptions about evolution, and also the history of evolutionary thought.
Each of the other main sections of the Evolution site is similarly constructed, with materials that can support a variety of educational levels and pedagogical styles. The site includes a variety of multimedia and interactive resources which include videos, animations, and virtual laboratories, in addition to its general textual content. The breadcrumb-like arrangement of the content aids in navigation and orientation on the vast Web site.
For instance the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides an overview of coral relationships and their interaction with other organisms. It then concentrates on a specific clam that can communicate with its neighbours and respond to changes in the water conditions that occur at the level of the reef. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary, multimedia and interactive pages on the site, offer an excellent introduction to a wide variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The material also provides a discussion of the role of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetic analysis which is a key tool in understanding evolutionary changes.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is an underlying thread that runs through all branches of biology. A rich collection of resources supports teaching about evolution across the life sciences.
One resource, which is the companion to PBS's television show Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of an Web page that offers both depth as well as wide range of educational resources. The site features a wealth of interactive learning modules. It also has a nested "bread crumb" structure that helps students move from the cartoon-like style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this large Web site more closely tied to the field of research science. For instance, an animation introducing the notion of genetic inheritance leads to a page highlighting John Endler's artificial selection experiments with guppies from the native ponds of Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website contains a large multimedia library of materials that deal to evolution. The content is organized into the form of curriculum-based pathways that are in line with the learning objectives set out in the biology standards. It includes seven short videos designed for classroom use. These can be streamed or purchased as DVDs.
A number of important questions remain at the core of evolutionary biology, including what causes evolution to occur and how fast it occurs. This is particularly true for the evolution of humans, where it was difficult 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.
In addition, there are a number of ways that evolution could occur, with natural selection being the most popular theory. Scientists also study other types such as genetic drift, and sexual selection.
While many fields of scientific inquiry have a conflict with literal interpretations of religious texts Evolutionary biology has been the subject of intense controversy and resistance from religious fundamentalists. Some religions have reconciled their beliefs with evolution, while others haven't.