7 Things You d Never Know About Evolution Site
Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misinformation about evolution remain. People who have taken in the nonsense of pop science often believe that biologists are saying they do not believe in evolution.
This rich Web site, which is a companion to the PBS program that provides teachers with resources which support evolution education, while avoiding the kinds of misconceptions which undermine it. It's organized in a nested "bread crumb" format to facilitate navigation and orientation.
Definitions
It's not easy to effectively teach evolution. Non-scientists often misunderstand the subject, and some scientists even use a definition that confuses it. This is particularly relevant when discussing the nature of the words themselves.
It is therefore important to define the terms that are used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, 에볼루션 무료체험 (knowing it) Understanding Evolution, does this in a clear and useful manner. The site serves as an accompaniment to the 2001 series, and it is also a resource on its own. The information is presented in an organized manner that makes it easier to navigate and comprehend.
The site defines terms like common ancestor, gradual process and so on. These terms help frame the nature of evolution and its relationship to evolution with other scientific concepts. The site provides an overview of the way the concept of evolution has been examined. This information can help dispel the myths that are created by the creationists.
You can also consult a glossary that includes terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation is the tendency of heritable traits to become better suited to an environment. This is a result of natural selection. Organisms with better-adapted traits are more likely than those with less-adapted characteristics to survive and reproduce.
Common ancestor: The latest common ancestor of two or more species. By analyzing the DNA from these species it is possible to identify the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A large biological molecular containing the information required for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences which are strung into long chains, referred to as chromosomes. Mutations are the reason behind the creation of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution is a relation between two species, where the evolution of one species are influenced by evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution can be observed in the interaction of predator and prey, or parasites and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups that can interbreed) develop through a series of natural changes in their offspring's traits. The changes can be caused by a variety such as natural selection, genetic drift and mixing of gene pools. The evolution of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, such as climate changes or competition for food and habitat, can slow or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site traces the emergence of a number of different groups of animals and plants over time, focusing on the major transitions that occurred in the evolution of each group's history. It also focuses on human evolution as a subject of particular importance to students.
When Darwin wrote the Origin of Species, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been discovered. One of them was the infamous skullcap and the associated bones discovered in 1856 at the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany which is now believed as an early Homo neanderthalensis. While the skullcap wasn't published until 1858, which was a year before the first edition of the Origin was published, it's extremely unlikely that Darwin had ever heard of it.
The site is primarily an online biology resource however it also includes a lot of information on paleontology and geology. The Web site has a number of aspects that are quite impressive, including the timeline of how geological and climate conditions have changed over the course of time. It also has an interactive map that shows the location of fossil groups.
Although the site is a companion to the PBS television series, it also stands on its own as an excellent resource for teachers and students. The site is extremely well-organized and offers clear links between the introductory information in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more specific elements of the museum's web site. These links facilitate the transition from the enthralling cartoon style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. There are also links to John Endler's experiments with guppies, which illustrate the importance 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 in their natural environment and has numerous advantages over the current observational and experimental methods in its exploration of evolutionary phenomena. Paleobiology focuses on not just the processes and events that take place frequently or over time, but also the relative abundance and distribution of different groups of animals in space over the course of geological time.
The site is divided into various paths that can be chosen to gain knowledge about evolution. One of the paths, "Evolution 101," guides the user through the evolution of nature and the evidence of evolution. The course also focuses on misconceptions about evolution and the background of evolutionary thinking.
Each of the other main sections of the Evolution site is equally constructed, with materials that can be used to support a range of different pedagogical levels and 에볼루션 블랙잭 (fastexpert.ru) curriculum levels. The site has a range of interactive and multimedia resources which include animations, video clips and virtual laboratories in addition to general textual content. The breadcrumb-like arrangement of the content assists with navigation and orientation on the massive website.
For instance the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides a comprehensive overview of coral relationships and their interaction with other organisms. Then, it zooms in on a single clam that can communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in 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, provide an excellent introduction to a wide range of topics in evolutionary biology. The content also includes an explanation of the importance of natural selection and the concept phylogenetics analysis which is a crucial tool to understand 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, 에볼루션 블랙잭 룰렛 (proland.ru) the companion to PBS's television show Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of a Web site that provides depth and breadth in terms of its educational resources. The site features a wide range 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 linked to the world of research science. For example an animation that introduces the notion of genetic inheritance leads to a page that focuses on John Endler's experiments in artificial selection using guppies in the ponds of his native country of Trinidad.
Another helpful resource is the Evolution Library on this web site, which has an extensive multimedia library of resources related to evolution. The content is organized in curriculum-based pathways that correspond to the learning objectives outlined in the biology standards. It contains seven videos specifically designed for use in classrooms, and can be streamed for no cost or purchased on DVD.
A number of important questions remain at the heart of evolutionary biology, such as the factors that trigger evolution and how fast it occurs. This is particularly relevant to human evolution, where it has been difficult to reconcile the idea that the physical traits of humans derived from apes, and the religions that believe that humanity is unique among living things and holds a a special place in creation. It is a soul.
Additionally there are a myriad of ways in which evolution could occur and natural selection is the most widely accepted theory. However scientists also study other kinds of evolution like mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection, among others.
Many fields of inquiry have a conflict with literal interpretations of religious texts evolutionary biology has been the subject of intense controversy and resistance from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the ideas of evolution, other religions aren't.