Blog entry by Hector Manson
Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misconceptions about evolution persist. Pop science nonsense has led people to think that biologists don't believe in evolution.
This rich Web site, which is a complement to the PBS program that provides teachers with resources that promote evolution education, while avoiding the kinds of misconceptions which undermine it. It's laid out in a nested "bread crumb" format to facilitate navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complicated and difficult subject matter to teach effectively. Non-scientists often misunderstand the subject, and some scientists even use a definition that confuses it. This is particularly relevant when it comes to the meaning of the words themselves.
It is therefore essential to define the terms used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a clear and helpful manner. The site is both a companion for the 2001 series, and also a resource of its own. The content is presented in a nested manner which aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor, the gradual process and adaptation. These terms help define the nature and relationship of evolution to other scientific concepts. The site then offers an overview of how the concept of evolution has been researched and verified. This information can be used to dispel myths that have been created by the creationists.
You can also access a glossary which contains terms that are used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: 에볼루션 바카라 (git.fuwafuwa.moe) The tendency of hereditary traits to become more suitable to a particular setting. This is a result of natural selection, which occurs when organisms that have better adapted characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adapted characteristics.
Common ancestor: The latest common ancestor of two or more different species. By analyzing DNA from these species, it is possible to identify the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A massive biological molecular that holds the information required for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotides arranged in sequences that are strung together into long chains, called chromosomes. Mutations are the reason behind the creation of new genetic information inside cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species where evolutionary changes in one species are dependent on evolutionary changes in the other. Examples of coevolution include the interactions between predator and prey, or parasite and host.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals that are able to interbreed) change through a series of natural changes in the characteristics of their offspring. The changes can be triggered by a variety of factors, including natural selection, genetic drift, and mixing of genes. The development of a new species may take thousands of years and the process can be slowed or increased by environmental factors like climate change or the competition for food or habitat.
The Evolution site tracks the evolution of a number of different species of plants and animals over time, focusing on the major transitions that occurred in the history of each group. It also focuses on human evolution and is a subject that is of particular interest for 에볼루션 블랙잭 students.
Darwin's Origin was written in 1859, when only a few antediluvian fossils of human beings had been discovered. The most famous among them was the skullcap and associated bones found in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany that is now thought to be an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is unlikely that Darwin was aware of the skullcap when it was published in 1858, which was a year after the first edition of The Origin.
The site is primarily an online biology resource however, it also has a lot of information on paleontology and geology. The site offers numerous features that are particularly impressive, including an overview of the way that climate and geological conditions have changed over the course of time. It also has an interactive map that shows the location of fossil groups.
The site is a companion for the PBS television series, but it could be used as a resource by teachers and students. The site is very well-organized and offers clear links between the introduction information in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more sophisticated elements of the museum Web site. These hyperlinks help users move from the engaging cartoon style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. In particular there are hyperlinks to John Endler's research with Guppies that demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life on Earth has produced a diversity of plants, animals, and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures within their geological context and has numerous advantages over the current observational and experimental methods for analyzing evolutionary phenomena. Paleobiology is able to study not just the processes and events that take place regularly or over time but also the relative abundance and distribution of different species of animals across geological time.
The site is divided into various paths that can be chosen to study the subject of evolution. One of the paths, "Evolution 101," walks the reader through the nature and evidence of evolution. The path also explores the most common misconceptions about evolution, as well as the history of evolutionary thought.
Each of the other main sections of the Evolution site is equally constructed, with materials that can support a variety of educational levels and pedagogical styles. In addition to the standard textual content, the site features an extensive selection of interactive and multimedia resources including video clips, animations, and virtual laboratories. The breadcrumb-like structure of the content aids in navigation and orientation on the vast web site.
For instance, the page "Coral Reef Connections" gives a brief overview of coral relationships and their interactions with other organisms. It then narrows down to a single clam that is able to communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in water conditions that take place at the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary interactive and multimedia pages, gives a good introduction to a variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The material also provides an explanation of the role of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetic analysis, which is a crucial tool for understanding the evolution of changes.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students evolution is a crucial thread that binds all the branches of the field. A vast collection of resources supports teaching about evolution across all life sciences.
One resource, the companion to PBS's TV series Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of a Web page that provides depth and wide range of educational resources. The site has a variety of interactive learning modules. It also has an embedded "bread crumb" structure that helps students move from the cartoon-like style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this massive website that are more closely linked to the world of research science. For instance an animation that introduces the notion of genetic inheritance leads to a page highlighting John Endler's experiments in artificial selection using guppies in the ponds of his native country of Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website contains a large multimedia library of resources that are associated with evolution. The content is organized into curriculum-based pathways that correspond to the learning objectives set out in biology standards. It contains seven videos specifically designed for use in classrooms. They can be streamed or purchased as DVDs.
A variety of crucial questions remain at the core of evolutionary biology, such as what causes evolution to occur and how fast it happens. This is particularly applicable to human evolution which has made it difficult to reconcile the idea that the physical traits of humans were derived from apes with religions that believe that humans are unique in the universe and has a special place in creation. It is a soul.
There are a variety of other ways in which evolution can take place including natural selection, 에볼루션 슬롯 카지노 (published here) which is the most well-known theory. However scientists also study different kinds of evolution like genetic drift, mutation, and sexual selection, among others.
While many fields of scientific study have a conflict with literal interpretations in religious texts, the concept of evolution biology has been a subject of intense debate and opposition from religious fundamentalists. Some religions have reconciled their beliefs to evolution but others haven't.