Is Evolution Site As Important As Everyone Says
Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, there are still a lot of misconceptions about evolution. Pop science nonsense has led people to believe that biologists don't believe evolution.
This rich website - companion to the PBS series - provides teachers with materials that promote evolution education and avoid the kinds of myths that make it difficult to understand. It's laid out in a nested "bread crumb" format to facilitate navigation and orientation.
Definitions
It's difficult to effectively teach evolution. Many non-scientists are unable to grasp the concept and some scientists use a definition which confuses it. This is especially true when discussing the meaning of the words themselves.
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 both an accompaniment to the 2001 series, and also a resource of its own. The material is presented in a structured manner that makes it simpler to navigate and comprehend.
The site defines terms like common ancestor and the gradual process. These terms help define the nature of evolution and its relationship to evolution to other concepts in science. The website then provides an overview of how the concept of evolution has been researched and validated. This information can help dispel myths that are created by the creationists.
It is also possible to get the glossary of terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency for heritable characteristics to become more adaptable to a specific environment. This is a result of natural selection. Organisms with more adaptable traits are more likely than those with less adapted traits to reproduce and survive.
Common ancestor: The latest common ancestor of two or more distinct species. The common ancestor can be identified by analyzing the DNA of these species.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: 에볼루션 사이트 A huge biological molecule that holds the information required for cell replication. The information is contained in sequences of nucleotides that are strung together into long chains, called chromosomes. Mutations are the reason behind the creation of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution: A relationship between two species in which evolutionary changes in one species are dependent on evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution is evident in the interactions between predator and prey, or parasite and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups which can interbreed) develop through a series of natural changes in their offspring's traits. Changes can be caused by various factors, including natural selection, gene drift, and mixing of the gene pool. The development of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, like climate changes or competition for food or habitat can impede or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site tracks the development of a number of different animal and plant groups through time, focusing on the major changes that took place in the evolution of each group's history. It also examines the evolutionary history of humans, 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 discovered. The famous skullcap, with the bones associated with it, was discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now regarded as an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is highly unlikely that Darwin was aware of the skullcap, which was published in 1858, one year following the initial edition of The Origin.
The site is primarily a biology site however it also includes many details on geology and paleontology. One of the most appealing features on the site are a series of timelines which show the way in which climatic and geological conditions changed over time, and an outline of the distribution of a few fossil groups listed on the site.
Although the site is a companion piece to a PBS television series however, it can stand on its own as an excellent resource for teachers and students. The site is well-organized, and provides easy links to the introductory information 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 facilitate the move from the engaging cartoon style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. In particular, there are links to John Endler's research with Guppies that demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life on Earth has led to a wide variety of plants, animals, and 에볼루션사이트 (via yogaasanas.science) insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures within their natural environment and has a number of advantages over the current observational and experimental methods for analyzing evolutionary processes. In addition to examining processes and events that occur regularly or 에볼루션 블랙잭 [via yogaasanas.science] over a lengthy period of time, paleobiology can be used to examine the relative abundance of various kinds of organisms as well as their distribution throughout geological time.
The Web site is divided into several optional ways to learn about evolution, including "Evolution 101," which takes the user on a linear path through the nature of science and the evidence to support the theory of evolution. The path also examines myths about evolution as well as the history of evolutionary thought.
Each of the main sections of the Evolution website is equally well-developed, and includes materials that are suited to a variety of curriculum levels and teaching styles. The site has a range of multimedia and interactive resources that include videos, animations, and virtual laboratories as well as general textual content. The breadcrumb-like structure of the content helps with navigation and orientation on the vast website.
The page "Coral Reef Connections" For instance, the page "Coral Reef Connections" gives a brief overview of coral relationships and interactions with other organisms and then zooms in on a single clam, which is able communicate with its neighbors and 에볼루션 바카라 무료 react to changes in the water conditions that occur on the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary, multimedia and interactive pages on the site, offer an excellent introduction to a wide spectrum of topics in evolutionary biology. The content includes a discussion on the significance of natural selectivity and the concept phylogenetics analysis, an important method for understanding the evolution of change.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students evolution is a crucial thread that connects all the branches of the field. A rich collection of resources helps teachers teach about evolution across the life sciences.
One resource, which is a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an outstanding example of a Web site that provides depth and a variety of educational resources. The site features a wealth of interactive learning modules. It also features a "bread crumb structure" that assists students in moving away from the cartoon-like style used in Understanding Evolution and onto elements on this site that are more closely connected to the realms of research science. For example an animation that introduces the concept of genetic inheritance links to a page that highlights John Endler's experiments in artificial selection with guppies from the native ponds of Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website is a vast multimedia library of assets related with evolution. The contents are organized into curriculum-based paths that parallel the learning goals established in biology standards. It contains seven short videos specifically designed for classroom use. These can be viewed online or purchased as DVDs.
Evolutionary biology is still an area of study with a lot of important questions, including the causes of evolution and how fast it occurs. This is particularly relevant for humans' evolution which was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humanity has a special place in the creation and a soul, with the idea that innate physical traits were derived from the apes.
There are a myriad of other ways in which evolution could occur including natural selection, which is the most popular theory. Scientists also study different types like mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection.
Many fields of inquiry are in conflict with the 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 theories of evolution, other religions aren't.