Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misconceptions about evolution persist. Pop science fiction has led a lot of people to believe that biologists don't believe evolution.
This site, which is a companion to the PBS series - provides teachers with materials that promote evolution education and avoids the kinds of myths that make it difficult to understand. It's arranged in a nested "bread crumb" format to make it easy for navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complex and difficult subject matter to teach effectively. People who are not scientists often have a difficult time understanding the subject and some scientists use a definition that confuses it. This is especially true when discussing the meaning of the words themselves.
It is therefore important to define the terms that are used in evolutionary biology. discover here for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a simple and efficient manner. The site serves as an accompaniment to the 2001 series, and also a resource of its own. The content is presented in a nested fashion that aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms such as common ancestor (or common ancestor), gradual process and adaptation. These terms help to frame the nature of evolution as well as its relation to other concepts in science. The site also provides an overview of how the concept of evolution has been tested and confirmed. This information can be used to dispel misconceptions that have been propagated by creationists.
You can also access a glossary that contains terms that are used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
The process of adaptation is the tendency of heritable traits to be more suitable to their environment. This is the result of natural selection. It occurs when organisms with better-adapted traits are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adapted characteristics.
Common ancestor: The latest common ancestor of two or more distinct species. By analyzing DNA from these species it is possible to determine the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A large biological molecular that contains the necessary information for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences which are strung into long chains known as chromosomes. Mutations are the source of new genetic information in cells.
Coevolution is the relationship between two species, where the evolutionary changes of one species are influenced evolutionary changes of the other. Examples of coevolution include the interactions between predator and prey or parasite and host.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals who can interbreed) evolve through natural changes in the traits of their offspring. These changes are caused by a variety of factors such as 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 down or speeded up by environmental factors like climate change or the competition for food or habitat.
The Evolution site tracks through time the evolution of various groups of animals and plants, focusing on major transitions within each group's past. It also examines the evolution of humans, which is a topic of particular importance for students.
When Darwin wrote the Origin, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been found. One of them was the infamous skullcap and the associated bones discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany, which is now known as an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is unlikely that Darwin knew about the skullcap when it was published in 1858, one year after the first edition of The Origin. Origin.
The site is mostly an online biology resource however it also includes many details on geology and paleontology. The most impressive features of the Web site are a timeline of events which show how climatic and geological conditions changed over time, and an outline of the distribution of some fossil groups that are featured on the site.
The site is a companion to a PBS TV series but it can be used as a resource by teachers and students. The site is very well-organized and has 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 make it easier to transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated worlds of research science. Particularly 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 animals, plants, and insects. Paleobiology, the study of these creatures in their natural environment is a superior method of study over modern observational or experimental methods for exploring evolutionary phenomena. Paleobiology is able to study not only the process and events that happen regularly or over time, but also the relative abundance and distribution of various animal groups across geological time.
The site is divided up into different options to study the subject of evolution. One of these paths, "Evolution 101," takes the viewer through the evolution of nature and the evidence of evolution. The path also explores the most common misconceptions about evolution, as well as the evolution of thought.
Each of the main sections of the Evolution website is equally well-designed, with materials that can be used to support a variety of educational levels and teaching styles. In addition to the general textual content, the site offers an array of interactive and multimedia resources, such as videos, animations and virtual labs. The content is presented in a nested bread crumb-like fashion that helps with navigation and orientation within the large web site.
For instance the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides an overview of coral relationships and their interactions with other organisms. It then concentrates on a specific 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, along with the other multidisciplinary multimedia and interactive pages, provides an excellent introduction to the many areas of evolutionary biology. The content also includes an explanation of the importance of natural selection and the concept phylogenetics analysis, an important tool for understanding evolutionary changes.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is a common thread that connects all branches of biology. A vast collection of resources supports teaching 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 offers a range of interactive learning modules. It also has a nested "bread crumb" structure that helps students move from the cartoon-like style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this large Web site more closely linked to the world of research science. Animation that introduces the concept of genetics links to a page highlighting John Endler's experiments with artificial selection using guppies on native ponds in Trinidad.
Another resource that is worth mentioning is the Evolution Library on this web website, which includes an extensive library of multimedia resources connected to evolution. The content is organized in curricula-based paths that correspond to the learning goals set forth in the standards for biology. It includes seven short videos specifically designed for use in classrooms, and can be streamed for free or purchased on DVD.
Many important questions remain at the core of evolutionary biology, such as what triggers evolution and how fast it happens. This is particularly relevant to human evolution, where it has been difficult to reconcile the idea that the physical traits of humans were derived from apes with religions that believe that humans are unique among living things and holds a an exclusive place in the creation with soul.
There are also a number of other ways evolution can take place, with natural selection as the most widely accepted theory. Scientists also study different types such as mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection.
While many scientific fields of study conflict with literal interpretations in religious texts, evolution biology has been a subject of intense controversy and opposition from religious fundamentalists. Some religions have reconciled their beliefs with evolution, but others haven't.