How To Choose The Right Evolution Site On The Internet
Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts by biology educators, misconceptions persist about the evolution. Pop science fiction has led a lot of people to believe that biologists aren't believers in evolution.
This rich website - companion to the PBS series - provides teachers with materials that promote evolution education and 바카라 에볼루션 avoid the kinds of misinformation that can undermine it. It's laid out in the "bread crumb" format to make navigation and orientation easier.
Definitions
It's not easy to effectively teach evolution. It is often misunderstood by non-scientists and even scientists are guilty of using a definition that confuses the issue. This is especially true when it comes to debates about the meaning of the word itself.
It is therefore important to define the terms that are used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, 무료에볼루션 Understanding Evolution, does this in a clear and useful manner. It is a companion for the 2001 series, and also a resource on its own. The content is presented in a nested fashion which aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor, gradual process, and adaptation. These terms help frame the nature of evolution and its relation to other concepts in science. The site then offers an overview of how the concept of evolution has been vetted and confirmed. This information can be used to dispel misconceptions 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:
Adaptation is the tendency of hereditary traits to become more suitable to their environment. This is a result of natural selection. Organisms with better-adapted characteristics are more likely than those with less adaptable characteristics to survive and reproduce.
Common ancestor: The most recent common ancestor of two or more species. The common ancestor can be identified by analyzing the DNA of these species.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A large biological molecule that contains the information required for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences that are strung into long chains called chromosomes. Mutations are the reason behind the creation of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species where evolution of one species influence evolutionary changes of the other. Coevolution is evident in the interactions between predator and prey, or parasites and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups which can interbreed) develop through a series natural changes in the traits of their offspring. The changes can be caused by a variety of causes, including natural selection, genetic drift, and 에볼루션 게이밍 mixing of genes. The evolution of new species could take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, such as climate change or competition for food resources and habitat can slow or speed up the process.
The Evolution site traces the emergence of various groups of animals and plants over time with a focus on the key changes that took place in the evolution of each group's history. It also examines the evolution of humans and is a subject that is particularly important for students.
Darwin's Origin was written in 1859, at a time when only a few antediluvian fossils of human beings had been discovered. The famous skullcap, along with the bones that accompanied it, was discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now recognized as an early Homo neanderthalensis. Although the skullcap was not published until 1858, one year before the first edition of the Origin was published, it is very unlikely that Darwin had ever heard of it.
The site is primarily a biology site, but it also contains a lot of information on geology and paleontology. One of the most appealing features of the Web site are a timeline of events that illustrate how geological and climatic conditions have 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 the PBS television show however, it can stand on its own as a valuable source for teachers and students. The site is well-organized, and 에볼루션게이밍 provides clear links to the introduction content of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's assistance) and the more specific features on the museum's website. These hyperlinks make it easy to move from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated realms 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 on Earth has produced a diversity of animals, plants, and insects. Paleobiology, the study of these creatures in their geological environment is a superior method of study over the current observational or experimental methods for exploring evolutionary processes. In addition to exploring processes and events that occur regularly or over a long period of time, paleobiology is able to examine the relative abundance of different kinds of organisms as well as their distribution throughout geological time.
The site is divided up into several paths that can be chosen to gain knowledge about evolution. One of the paths, "Evolution 101," walks the reader through the complexities and evidence of evolution. The path also explores common misconceptions about evolution and the evolution of thought.
Each of the other major sections of the Evolution site is similarly constructed, with materials that can support a variety of educational levels and pedagogical styles. In addition to the standard textual content, the site features a wide range of interactive and multimedia resources including videos, animations and virtual laboratories. The content is laid out in a nested bread crumb-like fashion that helps with navigation and orientation within the vast Web site.
The page "Coral Reef Connections", for example, gives a brief overview of the coral's relationships and their interactions with other organisms, and then is enlarged to show a single clam, which is able communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in the water conditions that occur on the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary multimedia and interactive pages, offers a great introduction to many topics in evolutionary biology. The content also includes an explanation of the importance of natural selection and the concept phylogenetics analysis as a key tool to understand evolutionary changes.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is an underlying thread that is found throughout all branches of biology. A rich collection supports teaching evolution across the disciplines of life sciences.
One resource, which is the companion to PBS's TV series Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of an Web page that provides depth and wide range of educational resources. The site offers a range of interactive learning modules. It also features an "bread crumb structure" that allows students to move away from the cartoon style that is used in Understanding Evolution and onto elements of this vast website that are closely linked to the realms of research science. An animation that introduces students to the concept of genetics, which links to a page that highlights John Endler's artificial-selection experiments with guppies on native ponds in Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website has a huge multimedia library of assets related to evolution. The contents are organized into courses that are based on curriculum and follow the learning objectives outlined in the standards for biology. It contains seven videos designed specifically for use in classrooms, and can be streamed for free or purchased on DVD.
Evolutionary biology is still a field of study that poses many important questions, such as what causes evolution and how quickly it occurs. This is particularly true for human evolution, which has made it difficult to reconcile the notion that the innate physical characteristics of humans evolved from apes, and the religious beliefs that hold that humans are unique among living things and holds a a special place in creation, with soul.
There are a myriad of other ways in which evolution can take place and natural selection being the most widely accepted theory. Scientists also study other types like mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection.
While many scientific fields of study conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts, evolution biology has been a source of intense debate and opposition from religious fundamentalists. Certain religions have reconciled their beliefs to evolution while others haven't.