Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misconceptions about evolution remain. Pop science nonsense has led people to believe that biologists aren't believers in evolution.
This rich website - companion to the PBS series offers teachers with resources that promote evolution education and avoid the kinds of misconceptions that undermine it. It's arranged in a nested "bread crumb" format to make it easy for navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complex and difficult subject to teach well. It is often misunderstood by non-scientists, and even some scientists are guilty of using definitions that confuse the issue. This is especially relevant to discussions about the definition of the word itself.
It is important to define terms used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a clear and useful manner. The site is both an accompaniment to the 2001 series, but it is also a resource on its own. The content is presented in a nested fashion that aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor, gradual process and adaptation. These terms help to define the nature of evolution and its relation to other scientific concepts. The website then provides an overview of how the concept of evolution has been vetted and confirmed. This information can help dispel myths created by creationists.
You 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 the result of natural selection. It occurs when organisms with better adapted characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adaptable traits.
Common ancestor: The latest common ancestor of two or more distinct species. By analyzing the DNA from these species, it is possible to identify the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A massive biological molecule that contains information needed for cell replication. The information is contained in a sequence of nucleotides that are strung together to form long chains, called chromosomes. Mutations are the reason behind the creation of new genetic information inside cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species in which the evolution of one species influence evolutionary changes of the other. Coevolution can be seen in the interaction of predator and prey, or parasites and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups that can crossbreed) develop through a series natural changes in their offspring's traits. The changes can be triggered by a variety of factors, including natural selection, genetic drift, and mixing of genes. The development of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, like changes in the climate or competition for food or habitat can impede or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site traces the emergence of a variety of animal and plant groups through time and focuses on the most significant shifts that occurred throughout the history of each group. It also focuses on the human evolutionary roots, a topic that is particularly important for students to understand.
When Darwin wrote the Origin in 1859, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been found. The famous skullcap, along with the bones that accompanied it, was discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now known as an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is unlikely that Darwin was aware of the skullcap when it was published in 1858, a year after the first edition of The Origin.
While the site is focused on biology, it also includes a good deal of information on geology and paleontology. The website has numerous features that are particularly impressive, including the timeline of the way that climate and geological conditions have changed over time. It also includes maps that show the locations of fossil groups.
While the site is a companion piece to the PBS television series but it also stands on its own as a valuable resource for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and offers clear links between the introduction material in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more sophisticated components of the museum's Web site. These links make it easier to move from the cartoon-style Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated worlds of research science. There are also links to John Endler's experiments with guppies that demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life on Earth has resulted in a variety of plants, animals, and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures within their geological context is a superior method of study over modern observational or experimental methods for studying evolutionary processes. Paleobiology is able to study not only processes and events that occur regularly or over time, but also the distribution and frequency of various animal groups in space throughout the geological time.
The website is divided into a variety of ways to learn about evolution that include "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a line through the scientific process and the evidence to support the theory of evolution. The path also explores common misconceptions about evolution as well as the evolution theory's history.
Each of the other sections of the Evolution site is equally well constructed, with materials that support a variety of curriculum levels and pedagogical styles. 에볼루션사이트 offers a wide array of multimedia and interactive resources which include video clips, animations and virtual laboratories, in addition to its general textual content. The content is presented in a nested bread crumb fashion that aids navigation and orientation within the large web site.
The page "Coral Reef Connections" For instance, it provides a comprehensive overview of the coral's relationships and interactions with other organisms and is enlarged to show one clam that is able communicate with its neighbours and respond to changes in conditions of the water that occur at the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary, multimedia and interactive pages on the site, provide an excellent introduction to a wide spectrum of topics in evolutionary biology. The material also provides an overview of the importance of natural selection as well as the concept of phylogenetic analysis, which is an important tool for understanding the evolution of changes.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students, evolution is a key thread that weaves together all branches of the field. A vast collection of resources supports teaching about evolution across all life sciences.
One resource, the companion to PBS's television show Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of an Web page that provides depth as well as wide range of educational resources. The site features a wealth of interactive learning modules. It also features an embedded "bread crumb" structure that allows students to move from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this huge site that are more closely tied to the field of research science. An animation that introduces the concept of genetics links to a page highlighting John Endler's experiments in artificial selection using Guppies living in ponds native to Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website contains a large multimedia library of assets related to evolution. The contents are organized into courses that are based on curriculum and follow the learning objectives set out in the biology standards. It includes seven short videos designed specifically for use in the classroom, and can be streamed for no cost or purchased on DVD.
Evolutionary biology remains an area of study that poses many important questions, including what causes evolution and the speed at which it takes place. This is particularly true for human evolution, where it's been difficult to reconcile the notion that the innate physical characteristics of humans derived from apes, and the religions that believe that humanity is unique among living things and holds a an enviable place in creation, with a soul.
In addition there are a variety of ways in which evolution could be triggered, with natural selection being the most widely accepted theory. Scientists also study other types such as mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection.
While many fields of scientific inquiry are in conflict with literal interpretations of the Bible, evolutionary biology has been the subject of particularly intense controversy and resistance from religious fundamentalists. While some religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the ideas of evolution, other religions aren't.