Blog entry by Rufus Ranieri
Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts by biology educators, misconceptions persist about the evolution. Pop science nonsense has led people to believe that biologists aren't believers in evolution.
This site, which is a complement to the PBS program, provides teachers with materials that promote evolution education while avoiding the types of misconceptions that can undermine it. It's arranged in a nested "bread crumb" format for ease of navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complicated and challenging subject to teach well. People who are not scientists often have a difficult time understanding the subject, and some scientists even use a definition that confuses it. This is particularly relevant to discussions on the definition of the word itself.
It is important to define terms that are used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a clear and helpful way. It is an accompanying site for the 2001 series, and also a resource on its own. The material is presented in a structured manner that makes it easier to navigate and understand.
The site defines terms like common ancestor and the gradual process. These terms help to define the nature of evolution and its relationship to other concepts in science. The website provides a summary of the manner that evolution has been examined. This information can be used to dispel the myths that have been engendered by the creationists.
You can also access a glossary that includes terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency for heritable traits to become better suited to a particular environment. This is the result of natural selection. It occurs when organisms that are better adapted characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adapted traits.
Common ancestor (also called common ancestor) is the most recent ancestral ancestor shared by two or more species. By studying the DNA of these species, it is possible to identify the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A huge biological molecule that holds the information needed for cell replication. The information is contained in a sequence of nucleotides that are strung together to form long chains, referred to as chromosomes. Mutations are the source of new genetic information within cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species in which the evolutionary changes of one species are influenced evolutionary changes of the other. Coevolution is evident in the interaction of predator and prey, or parasite and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals that can interbreed) evolve through natural changes in the characteristics of their offspring. The causes of these changes are various factors, including natural selection, 에볼루션 슬롯게임 블랙잭; shenasname.Ir, gene drift, and mixing of the gene pool. The evolution of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental circumstances, such as climate change or competition for food and habitat can impede or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site tracks the evolution of various animal and plant groups through time with a focus on the key transitions that occurred in each group's history. It also focuses on the evolutionary history of humans which is particularly important for students to comprehend.
Darwin's Origin was published in 1859, when only a few antediluvian fossils of humans were discovered. One of them was the infamous skullcap and bones that were discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany, which is now known to be an early Homo neanderthalensis. While the skullcap wasn't published until 1858, which was one year before the first edition of the Origin was published, it's highly unlikely that Darwin had heard or seen of it.
The site is mostly a biology site, but it also contains a lot of information on geology and paleontology. The website has several features that are especially impressive, including an overview of how climate and geological conditions have changed over time. It also features an interactive map that shows the location of fossil groups.
Although the site is a companion piece to the PBS television show but it also stands on its own as a valuable source for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and has clear links between the introductory content in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more sophisticated elements of the museum's web site. 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 also links to John Endler's experiments with guppies that demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life has resulted in an array of plants, animals and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures in their natural environment is a superior method of study over modern observational or experimental methods for studying evolutionary processes. In addition to exploring the processes and events that happen frequently or over a long period of time, paleobiology allows to examine the relative abundance of different kinds of organisms as well as their distribution in space over geological time.
The site is divided up into various options to gain knowledge about evolution. One of these paths, "Evolution 101," takes the viewer through the complexities and evidence of evolution. The path also reveals the most common misconceptions about evolution, as well as the evolution of thought.
Each of the other sections of the Evolution site is equally well developed, with materials that support a variety of curriculum levels and pedagogical styles. The site has a range of interactive and multimedia resources which include video clips, animations and virtual labs, in addition to its general textual content. The content is presented in a nested bread crumb style that facilitates navigation and orientation on the web site.
The page "Coral Reef Connections" For instance, it gives a brief overview of the coral's relationships and interactions with other organisms and zooms in on a single clam, which can communicate with its neighbors and 에볼루션 게이밍 바카라사이트 (telegra.ph) react to changes in the conditions of the water at the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary, multimedia and interactive pages on the site, provide an excellent introduction to the broad range of topics in evolutionary biology. The content includes an overview of the importance of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetics analysis, an important tool to understand evolutionary change.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students the concept of evolution is a major thread that weaves together all the branches of the field. A wide range of resources helps teachers teach about evolution across the life sciences.
One resource, a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an exceptional example of an Web site that offers both the depth and breadth of its educational resources. The site features a wealth of interactive learning modules. It also has an embedded "bread crumb" structure that helps students transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this massive website that are more closely linked to the world of research science. An animation that introduces the concept of genetics is linked to a page that highlights John Endler's artificial-selection experiments with guppies on native ponds in Trinidad.
Another helpful resource is the Evolution Library on this Web website, which includes an extensive collection of multimedia assets that are related to evolution. The content is organized in the form of curriculum-based pathways that are in line with the learning objectives set out in biology standards. It contains seven videos designed specifically for classroom use, which can be streamed at no cost or purchased on DVD.
A variety of crucial questions remain in the midst of evolutionary biology, including what triggers evolution and how fast it happens. This is especially relevant to human evolution, which has made it difficult to reconcile that the physical traits of humans derived from apes, and the religions that believe that humanity is unique in the universe and has an exclusive place in the creation, with a soul.
In addition there are a variety of ways that evolution can be triggered, with natural selection being the most widely accepted theory. Scientists also study different types such as mutation, 에볼루션 카지노 바카라사이트 (www.e10100.Com) genetic drift and sexual selection.
While many fields of scientific study conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts, the concept of evolution biology has been a source of intense controversy and opposition from religious fundamentalists. Certain religions have embraced their beliefs with evolution, while others haven't.