Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology teachers, misinformation about evolution persist. Pop science nonsense has led many people to believe that biologists don't believe evolution.
This rich website - companion to the PBS series - provides teachers with materials that support evolution education and avoids the kinds of misinformation that can undermine it. It's arranged in a nested "bread crumb" format for ease of navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complex and difficult subject to teach well. Many non-scientists are unable to grasp the concept, and some scientists even use a definition that confuses it. This is especially relevant to discussions on the definition of the word itself.
Therefore, it is crucial to define the terms that are used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a simple and efficient way. It is a companion for the 2001 series, and it is also a resource on its own. The content is presented in a nested manner that aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms like common ancestor and gradual process. These terms help to frame the nature of evolution as well as its relationship to other concepts in science. The site then offers an overview of how the concept of evolution has been tested 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: The tendency of hereditary traits to become more suitable to a particular setting. This is the result of natural selection. Organisms with better-adapted characteristics are more likely than those with less adapted characteristics to survive and reproduce.
Common ancestor: The most recent common ancestor of two or more species. By analyzing the DNA from these species, it is possible to determine the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A huge biological molecular containing the information required for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotides arranged in sequences that are strung together to form long chains, referred to as chromosomes. Mutations are the basis for new genetic information in cells.
Coevolution: A relationship between two species where evolutionary changes in one species are influenced by evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution can be seen through the interaction between predator and prey, or parasites and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals that can interbreed) change through natural changes in the characteristics of their offspring. The changes can be triggered by a variety that include natural selection, genetic drift, and gene pool mixing. The development of a new species could take thousands of years, and the process could be slowed down or accelerated by environmental factors like climate change or competition for food or habitat.
The Evolution site traces the emergence of various groups of animals and plants over time, focusing on the major shifts that occurred throughout the evolution of each group's history. It also focuses on human evolution, which is a topic that is of particular interest for students.
When Darwin wrote the Origin in 1859, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been discovered. The famous skullcap, along with the associated bones, was discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now recognized as an early Homo neanderthalensis. While the skullcap wasn't published until 1858, just one year after the first edition of the Origin was published, it is very unlikely that Darwin had seen or heard of it.
The site is mostly an online biology resource however, it also has a lot of information on paleontology and geology. The website has several features that are especially impressive, including a timeline of the way that climate and geological conditions have changed over the course of time. It also features maps that show the locations of fossil groups.
Although the site is a companion piece to a PBS television series, it also stands on its own as a great source for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and provides easy links to the introductory content of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's assistance) as well as the more specialized features of the museum website. These hyperlinks facilitate the move from the cartoon-like style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world 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 led to a wide variety of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology, the study of these creatures in their geological environment is a superior method of study over modern observational or research methods of studying evolutionary phenomena. Paleobiology is able to study not just the processes and events that take place regularly or over time, but also the distribution and frequency of different species of animals in space throughout geological time.
The site is divided into a variety of paths to learning evolution, including "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a liner path through the nature of science and the evidence that supports the theory of evolution. The course also focuses on the most common misconceptions about evolution, as well as the evolution theory's history.
Each of the main sections of the Evolution website is equally well-developed, and includes materials that support a variety levels of curriculum and teaching methods. The site includes a variety of multimedia and interactive resources which include videos, animations, and virtual laboratories in addition to general textual content. The breadcrumb-like organization of the content assists with navigation and orientation on the massive website.
For example, the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides a comprehensive overview of coral relationships and their interaction with other organisms. It then zooms in on a single clam that is able to communicate with its neighbours and respond to changes in the water conditions that take place at the level of the reef. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary interactive and multimedia pages, offers a great introduction to many topics in evolutionary biology. The material includes an overview of the significance of natural selectivity and the concept of phylogenetics analysis as a key tool for understanding evolutionary change.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is a common thread that runs through all branches of biology. A vast collection of books helps in teaching evolution across all disciplines of life sciences.
에볼루션 무료체험 , a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an outstanding example of an Web site that offers both depth and a variety of educational resources. The site features a wealth of interactive learning modules. It also features an encased "bread crumb" structure that allows students to move from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this large Web site more closely tied to the field of research science. Animation that introduces the concept of genetics is linked to a page highlighting John Endler's experiments with artificial selection using Guppies living in ponds native to Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website contains a large multimedia library of resources that are associated with evolution. The content is organized according to the form of curriculum-based pathways that are in line with the learning goals set forth in biology standards. It contains seven videos specifically designed for use in the classroom, and can be streamed for no cost or purchased on DVD.
Evolutionary biology remains a field of study with a lot of important questions, such as what triggers evolution and how quickly it happens. This is especially true for humans' evolution where it was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that humanity has a unique place in the creation and a soul with the notion that our physical traits evolved from apes.
There are a variety of other ways evolution could occur and natural selection being the most widely accepted theory. Scientists also study other types such as mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection.
While many scientific fields of inquiry conflict with literal interpretations of religious texts evolutionary biology has been the subject of controversial debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the ideas of evolution, other religions have not.