Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts by biology educators, misconceptions persist regarding evolution. 에볼루션 룰렛 who have been exposed to pop science nonsense often assume that biologists claim they don't believe in evolution.
This rich Web site, which is a companion to the PBS program that provides teachers with resources that promote evolution education, while avoiding the kinds of misconceptions that can make it difficult to understand. It's laid out in a "bread crumb" format to make navigation and orientation easier.
Definitions
It's not easy to properly teach evolution. Non-scientists often misunderstand the subject, and some scientists even employ a definition that confuses it. This is particularly applicable to debates about the definition of the word itself.
It is therefore important to define the terms used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a simple and efficient way. It is an accompaniment to the 2001 series, and it is also a resource on its own. The information is presented in an organized way that makes it easy to navigate and understand.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor, gradual process, and adaptation. These terms help to define the nature of evolution and its relationship to evolution to other concepts in science. The site provides an overview of the ways that evolution has been tested. This information will help to dispel the myths created by creationists.
It is also possible to get the glossary of terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency of heritable traits to become better suited to a particular environment. This is a result of natural selection. Organisms that have better-adapted characteristics are more likely than those with less adaptable characteristics to survive and reproduce.
Common ancestor (also called common ancestor) is the most recent 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 molecule that holds the information required for cell replication. The information is stored 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 inside 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 host and parasite.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals that are able to interbreed) develop through natural changes in the characteristics of their offspring. The changes can be caused by a variety of causes that include natural selection, genetic drift, and mixing of gene pools. The evolution of a new species could take thousands of years and the process can be slowed down or speeded up by environmental factors like climate change or the competition for food or habitat.
The Evolution site traces through time the emergence of various groups of animals and plants with a focus on major changes in each group's past. It also explores the human evolutionary roots and humans, a subject that is particularly important for students to comprehend.
Darwin's Origin was written in 1859, when only a few antediluvian fossils of humans had been found. Among them was the famous skullcap and bones that were discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany that is now thought to be an early Homo neanderthalensis. While the skullcap wasn't published until 1858, which was one year after the first edition of the Origin appeared, it is very unlikely that Darwin had ever heard of it.
While the site focuses on biology, it offers a lot of information about geology and paleontology. One of the most appealing features of the Web site are a timeline of events that show the way in which climatic and geological conditions have changed over time and an interactive map of the distribution of some fossil groups listed on the site.
The site is a companion for a PBS television series, but it can also be used as a resource by teachers and students. The site is well-organized, and provides easy links to the introductory material of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's funding) and the more specialized features of the museum's website. These links facilitate the transition from the engaging cartoon style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. There are links to John Endler’s experiments with guppies, which illustrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life has led to a variety of plants, animals and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures in their geological context and has numerous advantages over the current observational and experimental methods of examining evolutionary processes. Paleobiology focuses on not only the process and events that occur regularly or over time but also the relative abundance and distribution of different species of animals in space throughout geological time.
The Web site is divided into several optional paths to learning evolution that include "Evolution 101," which takes the user on a linear path through the scientific process and the evidence supporting the theory of evolution. The course also focuses on the most common misconceptions about evolution, as well as the evolution of thought.
Each of the other sections of the Evolution site is equally developed, with materials that can support a variety of curriculum levels and pedagogical styles. In addition to the standard textual content, the site offers an array of multimedia and interactive resources like videos, animations and virtual labs. The breadcrumb-like structure of the content assists with navigation and orientation on the massive Web site.
For instance the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides a comprehensive overview of coral relationships and their interaction with other organisms, then narrows down to a single clam that can communicate with its neighbors and react to changes in water conditions at the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary, multimedia and interactive pages on the site, offer an excellent introduction to a broad spectrum of topics in evolutionary biology. The information also includes an overview of the importance of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetic analysis, which is a key tool for understanding the evolution of change.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students the concept of evolution is a major thread that weaves together all the branches of the field. A vast collection of resources supports teaching about evolution across all life sciences.
One resource, a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an outstanding example of a Web site that offers both depth and a variety of educational resources. The site has a variety of interactive learning modules. It also has a nested "bread crumb" structure that helps students transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this huge site that are more closely tied to the world of research science. For example an animation that introduces the concept of genetic inheritance links to a page highlighting John Endler's experiments with artificial selection with guppies in native ponds of Trinidad.
Another resource that is worth mentioning is the Evolution Library on this site, which contains an extensive collection of multimedia resources connected 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 includes seven short videos specifically designed for classroom use, which can be streamed for free or purchased on DVD.
Many important questions remain in the midst of evolutionary biology, including the factors that trigger evolution and how fast it occurs. This is especially true for the evolution of humans, where it was difficult to reconcile religious beliefs that humanity has a unique place in creation and a soul with the notion that our physical traits originated from apes.
There are a myriad of other ways evolution can occur and natural selection being the most popular theory. However scientists also study other kinds of evolution like mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection, among others.
While many fields of scientific inquiry have a conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts evolutionary biology has been the subject of intense controversy and resistance from religious fundamentalists. While some religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the ideas of evolution, others haven't.