Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology teachers, there are still misconceptions about the evolution. 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 companion to the PBS series - provides teachers with materials that support evolution education and avoids the kinds of misconceptions that make it difficult to understand. It's laid out in a nested "bread crumb" format to make it easy for navigation and orientation.
Definitions
It is difficult to teach evolution well. It is often misunderstood by non-scientists, and even scientists are guilty of using a definition that confuses the issue. This is particularly applicable to discussions about the definition of the word itself.
It is therefore important to define the terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website does this in a straightforward and useful manner. The site is a companion to the series that first aired in 2001, but also functions as an independent resource. The content is presented in a structured manner that makes it simpler to navigate and understand.
The site defines terms like common ancestor, gradual process and adaptation. These terms help to define the nature and significance of evolution with other scientific concepts. The site provides an overview of the way that evolution has been tested. This information can help dispel the myths created by creationists.
You can also access a glossary that includes terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency of heritable characteristics to become more suited to a particular environment. This is the result of natural selection. Organisms with better-adapted characteristics are more likely than those with less adaptable traits to survive and reproduce.
Common ancestor: The latest common ancestor of two or more distinct species. By studying the DNA of these species it is possible to determine the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A huge biological molecule that contains the information necessary for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences that are strung into long chains called chromosomes. Mutations are the cause of new genetic information in cells.
Coevolution is a relation between two species in which the evolution of one species are influenced by evolutionary changes of the other. Examples of coevolution are the interactions between predator and prey or host and parasite.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals that are able to interbreed) evolve through a series of natural changes in the traits of their offspring. Changes can be caused by many factors, such as natural selection, gene drift and mixing of the gene pool. The development of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, like climate change or competition for food resources and habitat, can slow or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site traces through time the evolution of different species of plants and animals with a focus on major changes in each group's past. It also focuses on the evolutionary history of humans, a topic that is especially important for students to know.
Darwin's Origin was published in 1859, at a time when only a handful of antediluvian fossils of humans had been found. The famous skullcap, along with the bones associated with it, was discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now recognized as an early Homo neanderthalensis. While 에볼루션사이트 wasn't published until 1858, just one year after the first edition of the Origin appeared, it is very unlikely that Darwin had seen or heard of it.
While the site focuses on biology, it also includes a good deal of information about geology as well as paleontology. One of the most appealing features of the website are a set of timelines which show how geological and climatic conditions have changed over time, and a map of the distribution of some fossil groups that are featured on the site.
Although the site is a companion piece to a PBS television series, it also stands on its own as a valuable resource for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and provides clear links to the introduction material of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's assistance) as well as the more specialized features of the museum's website. These hyperlinks make it easy to transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated worlds of research science. There are also links to John Endler's experiments with guppies. They demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life has resulted in a variety of plants, animals and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures in their natural environment offers many advantages over the current observational or experimental methods for exploring evolutionary phenomena. In addition to exploring processes and events that take place frequently or over a long period of time, paleobiology is able to examine the diversity of groups of organisms and their distribution in space over the course of geological time.
The Web site is divided into several optional ways to learn about evolution which include "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a line through the scientific process and the evidence to support the theory of evolution. The path also explores common misconceptions about evolution and the evolution of thought.
Each of the main sections on the Evolution website is equally well-developed, with materials that can be used to support a variety of levels of curriculum and teaching methods. The site offers a wide array of interactive and multimedia resources that include animations, video clips and virtual laboratories, in addition to its general textual content. The content is presented in a nested bread crumb-like fashion that helps with navigation and orientation within the vast Web site.
The page "Coral Reef Connections" For instance, it provides an overview of the coral's relationships, their interaction with other organisms and then zooms in on a single clam, which is able communicate with its neighbors and react to changes in conditions of the water at the reef level. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary multimedia and interactive pages, gives a good introduction to a variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The content also includes a discussion of the role of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetic analysis, which is a crucial tool for understanding the evolution of change.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students the concept of evolution is a major thread that binds all the branches of the field. A rich collection of resources helps teachers teach about evolution across all life sciences.
One resource, which is a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an excellent example of a Web site that offers both depth and breadth in its educational resources. The site offers a variety of interactive learning modules. It also features a "bread crumb structure" that assists students in moving away from the cartoon style used in Understanding Evolution and onto elements on this large website more closely related to the fields of research science. For example an animation that explains the idea of genetic inheritance connects to a page that focuses on John Endler's artificial selection experiments using guppies in the ponds of his native country of Trinidad.
Another resource that is worth mentioning is the Evolution Library on this Web site, which contains an extensive library of multimedia items that are related to evolution. The content is organized according to courses that are based on curriculum and follow the learning objectives outlined in biology standards. It includes seven short videos designed specifically for use in the classroom, and can be streamed for free 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 particularly applicable to human evolution which has made it difficult to reconcile that the innate physical characteristics of humans derived from apes and religions that believe that humanity is unique among living things and holds a an exclusive place in the creation with soul.
There are a variety of other ways in which evolution can occur including natural selection, which is the most widely accepted theory. Scientists also study different types like mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection.
While many scientific fields of study are in conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts, evolution biology has been a subject of intense debate and opposition from religious fundamentalists. Certain religions have embraced their beliefs to evolution while others haven't.