How To Tell The Evolution Site Right For You
Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology teachers, misinformation about evolution persist. People who have absorbed pop science nonsense often assume that biologists are saying they do not believe in evolution.
This rich Web site - companion to the PBS series It provides teachers with materials that support evolution education and avoids the kinds of misconceptions that undermine it. It's laid out in the "bread crumb" format to make navigation and 에볼루션게이밍 orientation easier.
Definitions
Evolution is a complicated and 바카라 에볼루션 challenging subject to teach well. Many non-scientists are unable to grasp the concept, and some scientists even employ a definition that confuses it. This is particularly relevant when it comes to the definition of the words.
It is therefore crucial to define the terms used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a clear and useful manner. The site is a companion site to the show which first aired in 2001, but it also functions as an independent resource. The content is presented in an organized manner that makes it easier to navigate and comprehend.
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 scientific concepts. The site provides an overview of the way that evolution has been examined. This information can be used to dispel the myths that have been propagated by the creationists.
It is also possible to find a glossary of terms that are used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
The process of adaptation is the tendency of heritable traits to be more suitable to their environment. This is due to natural selection. It occurs when organisms that are better-adapted characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adaptable traits.
Common ancestor: The most recent common ancestor of two or more different species. The common ancestor can be identified by analyzing the DNA of those species.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A huge biological molecule that contains the information required for cell replication. The information is stored in sequences of nucleotides that are strung together into long chains, also known as chromosomes. Mutations are the reason behind the creation of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution is the relationship between two species, where the evolutionary changes of one species influence evolutionary changes of the other. Coevolution can be observed through the interaction between predator and prey, or parasites and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals that are able to interbreed) evolve through a series of natural changes in the traits of their offspring. The changes can be caused by a variety, including natural selection, genetic drift, and gene pool mixing. The evolution of new species could take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, such as changes in the climate or competition for food and habitat, can slow or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site tracks through time the emergence of various species of plants and animals with a focus on major 에볼루션 슬롯게임 changes in each group's past. It also examines the evolutionary history of humans, a topic that is especially important for students to comprehend.
Darwin's Origin was written in 1859, when only a few antediluvian fossils of humans had been found. The famous skullcap, with the associated bones were discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now known as an early Homo neanderthalensis. Although the skullcap was not published until 1858, just a year before the first edition of the Origin was published, it is extremely unlikely that Darwin had heard or seen of it.
While the site is focused on biology, it also includes a good deal of information on geology and paleontology. The site offers a number of aspects that are quite impressive, such as the timeline of how climate and geological conditions have changed over time. It also includes maps that show the locations of fossil groups.
The site is a companion for 에볼루션코리아 a PBS television series, but it could be used as a source for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and offers easy links to the introductory material of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's assistance) and the more specific features of the museum's website. These links facilitate the transition from the cartoon-like style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. There are links to John Endler's experiments with guppies that illustrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life has produced an array of plants, animals and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures in their geological environment offers many advantages over modern observational or experimental methods for exploring evolutionary phenomena. In addition to exploring processes and events that take place regularly or over a long period of time, paleobiology allows to examine the diversity of kinds of organisms as well as their distribution throughout the course of geological time.
The Web site is divided into several optional paths to learning evolution which include "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a line 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 history of evolutionary thought.
Each of the other 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 the standard textual content, the site offers a wide range of multimedia and interactive content including video clips, animations, and virtual labs. The breadcrumb-like structure of the content assists with navigation and orientation on the vast Web site.
The page "Coral Reef Connections", for example, provides an overview of the relationships between corals, their interaction with other organisms, and then zooms in on one clam, which can 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 spectrum of topics in evolutionary biology. The material also provides an overview of the importance of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetic analysis, which is a crucial tool for understanding the evolution of change.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students the concept of evolution is a major thread that connects all branches of the field. A rich collection supports teaching evolution across the disciplines of life sciences.
One resource, which is a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an exceptional example of a Web site that offers both depth and breadth in its educational resources. The site offers a variety of interactive learning modules. It also features an encased "bread crumb" structure that helps students move from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this massive website that are more closely linked to the world of research science. Animation that introduces the concept of genetics links to a page highlighting John Endler's experiments in artificial selection using guppies on native ponds in Trinidad.
Another useful resource is the Evolution Library on this web site, which has an extensive multimedia library of resources that are related to evolution. The contents are organized into curricula-based pathways that correspond to the learning goals established in the 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 core of evolutionary biology, including the factors that trigger evolution and how fast it happens. This is particularly true for human evolution, which has made it difficult to reconcile the idea that the physical traits of humans evolved from apes and religious beliefs that hold that humanity is unique among living things and has a special place in creation, with a soul.
Additionally, there are a number of ways in which evolution could occur with natural selection being the most popular theory. However scientists also study other types of evolution such as mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection, among other things.
While many fields of scientific study are in conflict with literal interpretations in religious texts, the concept of evolution biology has been a subject of intense debate and opposition from religious fundamentalists. Certain religions have reconciled their beliefs to evolution while others haven't.