An Easy-To-Follow Guide To Choosing The Right Evolution Site

Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution

Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misconceptions about evolution persist. People who have been exposed to the nonsense of pop science often believe that biologists claim they do not believe in evolution.

This site, which is a complement to the PBS program that provides teachers with resources which support evolution education while avoiding the types of misconceptions that can hinder it. It's organized in a nested "bread crumb" format for ease of navigation and orientation.

Definitions

Evolution is a complicated and challenging subject to teach effectively. It is often misunderstood even by non-scientists, and even some scientists are guilty of using an interpretation that is confusing the issue. This is especially true when discussing the definition of the words.

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 clear and helpful way. It is an accompanying site for 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 and the gradual process. These terms help frame the nature and significance of evolution to other concepts in science. The site gives a comprehensive overview of the way in which evolution has been examined. This information can be used to dispel myths that have been propagated by the creationists.

It is also possible to find the glossary of terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:

Adaptation: The tendency for heritable traits to become better suitable to a particular setting. This is the result of natural selection. Organisms that have better-adapted traits are more likely than those with less adapted characteristics to survive and reproduce.

Common ancestor (also called common ancestor): The most recent ancestor that is shared by two or more species. The common ancestor can be identified by studying the DNA of these species.

Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A massive biological molecular that holds the information needed for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences which are strung into long chains, referred to as chromosomes. Mutations are the basis for new genetic information in cells.

Coevolution is a relationship between two species where evolution of one species are influenced evolutionary changes of the other. Coevolution can be observed in the interactions between predator and prey, or parasite and hosts.

Origins

Species (groups which can interbreed) change through a series of natural changes in the traits of their offspring. These changes are caused by a variety of factors that include natural selection, genetic drift, and gene pool mixing. The evolution of new species could take thousands of years.  에볼루션 , such as climate changes or competition for food or habitat, can slow or accelerate the process.

The Evolution site traces the emergence of a variety of species of plants and animals over time and focuses on the most significant shifts that occurred throughout the evolution of each group's history. It also focuses on the human evolutionary roots, a topic that is particularly important for students to understand.

Darwin's Origin was published in 1859, at a time when only a few antediluvian fossils of humans had been found. One of them was the infamous skullcap and the associated bones discovered in 1856 at the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany that is now thought to be an early Homo neanderthalensis. While the skullcap wasn't published until 1858, which was a year before the first edition of the Origin appeared, it is very unlikely that Darwin had heard or seen of it.

The site is primarily an online biology resource however it also includes lots of information about geology and paleontology. Among the best features of the website are a series of timelines that illustrate how geological and climatic conditions have changed over time and a map of the geographical distribution of some of the fossil groups featured on the site.

While the site is a companion to a PBS television show, it also stands on its own as a valuable source for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and provides clear links to the introductory information of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's support) and the more specific features of the museum's website. These hyperlinks facilitate the move from the cartoon-like style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. In particular, there are links to John Endler's experiments using 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 is the study of these creatures in their natural environment is a superior method of study over modern observational or research methods of studying evolutionary phenomena. In addition to exploring processes and events that take place regularly or over a long period of time, paleobiology is able to study the relative abundance of various species of organisms and their distribution throughout geological time.

The website is divided into several optional ways to learn about evolution that include "Evolution 101," which takes the user on a linear path through the nature of science and the evidence that supports the theory of evolution. The path also reveals common misconceptions about evolution as well as the evolution of thought.

Each of the main sections on the Evolution website is equally well-developed, and includes materials that can be used to support a variety of levels of curriculum and teaching methods. The site has a range of interactive and multimedia content which include videos, animations, and virtual labs as well as general textual content. The content is laid out in a nested bread crumb style that facilitates navigation and orientation within the large Web site.

For instance the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides a comprehensive overview of the relationships between corals and their interaction with other organisms. Then, it zooms in on a single clam that can communicate with its neighbours and respond to changes in water conditions that occur at the level of the reef. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary, multimedia and interactive pages on the site, provide an excellent introduction to a broad spectrum of topics in evolutionary biology. The information also includes a discussion of the role of natural selection as well as the concept of phylogenetic analysis, which is a crucial tool for understanding the evolution of change.

Evolutionary Theory

Evolution is a common thread that connects all branches of biology. A rich collection supports teaching evolution across the disciplines of life science.

One resource, which is the companion to PBS's television series Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of a Web page that offers both depth and broadness in terms of educational resources. The site has a wide array 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 tied to the world of research science. For example an animation that introduces the concept of genetic inheritance links to a page highlighting John Endler's artificial selection experiments using guppies in the ponds of his native country of Trinidad.

Another helpful resource is the Evolution Library on this website, which includes an extensive collection of multimedia assets connected to evolution. The contents are organized into curricula-based pathways that correspond to the learning objectives outlined in the standards for biology. It includes seven short videos specifically designed for classroom use, which can be streamed at no cost or purchased on DVD.

Evolutionary biology is still a field of study with a lot of important questions, such as what causes evolution and the speed at which it takes place. This is particularly relevant for humans' evolution where it was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that humans have a distinct position in the universe and a soul, with the notion that our physical traits were derived from apes.

There are a myriad of other ways evolution can occur and natural selection being the most well-known theory. However, scientists also study other kinds of evolution like mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection, among other things.

Although many scientific fields of study are in conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts, evolution biology has been the subject of intense debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have managed to reconcile their beliefs with the ideas of evolution, others aren't.