Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misconceptions about evolution remain. Pop science nonsense has led many people to think that biologists don't believe in evolution.
This site, which is a complement to the PBS program that provides teachers with resources that promote evolution education while avoiding the types of misconceptions which make it difficult to understand. It's organized in a nested "bread crumb" format for ease of navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complex and difficult subject to teach effectively. 에볼루션 코리아 is often misunderstood by non-scientists and even some scientists use an interpretation that is confusing the issue. This is especially true when discussing the nature of the words themselves.
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 manner. The website is a companion to the show which first aired in 2001, but is also an independent resource. The material is presented in a nested fashion that assists in navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms like common ancestor and the gradual process. These terms help to define the nature of evolution as well as its relationship to other concepts in science. The website then provides an overview of how the concept of evolution has been tested and confirmed. This information can be used to dispel the myths that have been created by the creationists.
You can also access a glossary which contains terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
The process of adaptation is the tendency of hereditary traits to become more suitable to their environment. This is due to natural selection, which happens when organisms that have better adapted characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adaptable characteristics.
Common ancestor: The latest common ancestor of two or more different species. By studying the DNA of these species, it is possible to determine the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A massive biological molecule that contains the information needed for cell replication. The information is contained in sequences of nucleotides that are strung together to form long chains, called chromosomes. Mutations are the basis for new genetic information in cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species where evolutionary changes of one species are influenced evolutionary changes of the other. Examples of coevolution include the interactions between predator and prey or host and parasite.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals that are able to interbreed) evolve through an array of natural changes in the traits of their offspring. The causes of these changes are many factors, such as natural selection, gene drift and mixing of the gene pool. 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 competition for food or habitat.
The Evolution site tracks the evolution of various groups of animals and plants over time, focusing on the major transitions that occurred in the history of each group. It also explores human evolution and is a subject of particular importance to students.
Darwin's Origin was published in 1859, when only a few 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 regarded as an early Homo neanderthalensis. While the skullcap wasn't published until 1858, a year before the first edition of the Origin was published, it's extremely unlikely that Darwin had heard or seen of it.
The site is mostly an online biology resource however it also includes lots of information about paleontology and geology. The most impressive features of the website are a series of timelines that show the way in which climatic and geological conditions changed over time, and an outline of the geographical distribution of some fossil groups listed on the site.
While the site is a companion piece to the PBS television series however, it can stand on its own as an excellent resource for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and offers clear links to the introduction material of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's assistance) as well as the more specialized features on the museum's website. These hyperlinks make it easy to move from the cartoon-style Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated realms of research science. There are also links to John Endler's experiments with guppies, which illustrate the importance ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life has led to an array of plants, animals and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures in their natural environment and has many advantages over the current observational and experimental methods of examining evolutionary processes. Paleobiology focuses on not only processes and events that occur regularly or over time but also the relative abundance and distribution of various animal groups across the geological time.
The site is divided into a variety of ways to learn about evolution which include "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a liner path through the nature of science and the evidence supporting the theory of evolution. The path also explores common misconceptions about evolution and 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 educational levels and teaching styles. In addition to general textual content, the site offers a wide range of interactive and multimedia resources including videos, animations, and virtual labs. The breadcrumb-like organization of the content aids in navigation and orientation on the large Web site.
For example the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides an overview of coral relationships and their interaction with other organisms, then zooms in on a single clam that is able to communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in water conditions that occur at the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary interactive and multimedia pages provides an excellent introduction to the many areas of evolutionary biology. The information also includes an explanation of the role of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetic analysis, which is an important tool for understanding the evolution of changes.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students the concept of evolution is a major thread that weaves together all the branches of the field. A wide selection of resources helps teachers teach evolution across the disciplines of life science.
One resource, which is the companion to PBS's TV series Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of an Web page that provides depth and wide range of educational resources. The site offers a variety of interactive learning modules. It also features a "bread crumb structure" that helps students move away from the cartoon style used in Understanding Evolution and onto elements on this large website more closely connected to the fields of research science. For instance an animation that introduces the idea of genetic inheritance connects to a page that highlights John Endler's experiments with artificial selection with guppies from the native ponds of Trinidad.
Another resource that is worth mentioning is the Evolution Library on this Web site, which contains an extensive collection of multimedia resources that are related to evolution. The content is organized into curricula-based paths that correspond to the learning objectives set out in the standards for biology. It contains seven videos specifically designed for use in the classroom, and can be streamed for no cost or purchased on DVD.
Evolutionary biology is still an area of study with a lot of important questions, including the causes of evolution and the speed at which it takes place. This is especially applicable to human evolution where it has been difficult to reconcile that the innate physical characteristics of humans were derived from apes with religious beliefs that claim that humanity is unique among living things and has a special place in creation, with soul.
In addition, there are a number of ways in which evolution could occur and natural selection is the most popular theory. However, scientists also study other kinds of evolution like mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection, among others.
While many scientific fields of inquiry are in conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts evolutionary biology has been the subject of controversial debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. Certain religions have embraced their beliefs with evolution, while others haven't.