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Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution

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

This rich website - companion to the PBS series - provides teachers with materials that promote evolution education and avoids the kinds of misconceptions that hinder it. It's laid out in the "bread crumb" format to make navigation and orientation easier.

Definitions

Evolution is a complicated and challenging subject to teach well. Non-scientists often misunderstand the subject, and some scientists even use a definition which confuses it. This is particularly true when it comes to discussions on the definition of the word itself.

It is important to define terms used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website does this in a straightforward and useful way. The site is both a companion for the 2001 series, and it is also a resource on its own. The content is presented in a nested fashion that aids navigation and orientation.

The site defines terms such as common ancestor and gradual process. These terms help frame the nature of evolution and its relationship to other scientific concepts. The site also provides an overview of how the concept of evolution has been tested and verified. This information can be used to dispel the myths that have been created by the creationists.

You can also consult a glossary that includes terms that are used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:

Adaptation is the tendency of hereditary traits to become better suited to an environment. This is the result of natural selection. Organisms that have better-adapted traits are more likely than those with less adaptable characteristics to survive and reproduce.

Common ancestor: The most recent common ancestor of two or more species. The common ancestor can be identified by analyzing the DNA of the species.

Deoxyribonucleic acid: A massive biological molecule that contains the information necessary for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences which are strung into long chains, referred to as chromosomes. Mutations are the reason behind the creation of new genetic information within cells.

Coevolution is a relation between two species in which the evolutionary changes of one species are influenced evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution is evident in the interaction of predator and prey, or parasites and hosts.

Origins

Species (groups of individuals that can interbreed) change through an array of natural changes in the characteristics of their offspring. The changes can be triggered by a variety of factors that include natural selection, genetic drift, and mixing of genes. The evolution of a new species may take thousands of years and the process could be slowed down or speeded up by environmental factors like climate change or the competition for food or habitat.

The Evolution site follows the evolution of various groups of animals and plants with a focus on major changes within each group's past. It also focuses on the evolutionary origin of humans which is crucial for students to know.

Darwin's Origin was written in 1859, when only a handful of antediluvian fossils of humans were discovered. Among them was the famous 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 highly unlikely that Darwin knew about the skullcap when it was published in 1858, a year after the publication of the first edition of The Origin. Origin.

While the site focuses on biology, it contains a wealth of information on geology and paleontology. The Web site has several features that are particularly impressive, including an overview of how geological and climate conditions have changed over time. It also features an interactive map that shows the location of fossil groups.


Although the site is a companion to the PBS television show, it also stands on its own as a great source for teachers and students. The site is extremely well organized and provides clear links between the introductory information in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more sophisticated components of the museum's Web site. These links facilitate the transition from the enthralling cartoon style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. In particular, there are links to John Endler's experiments with guppies that illustrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.

Diversity

The evolution of life has led to a variety of plants, animals and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures within their geological environment is a superior method of study over modern observational or experimental methods for studying evolutionary phenomena. Paleobiology is able to study not only the process and events that take place frequently or over time, but also the relative abundance and distribution of different groups of animals across the geological time.

The site is divided into different paths that can be chosen to learn about evolution. One of these paths, "Evolution 101," takes the viewer through the evolution of nature and the evidence of evolution. The path also explores misconceptions about evolution and the background of evolutionary thinking.

Each of the other sections of the Evolution site is equally constructed, with materials that support a variety of different pedagogical levels and curriculum levels. The site has a range of multimedia and interactive resources that include animations, video clips and virtual labs, in addition to its general textual content. The breadcrumb-like organization of the content aids in navigation and orientation on the massive web site.

The page "Coral Reef Connections" For instance, it gives a brief overview of coral relationships, their interaction with other organisms and zooms in on one clam, which is able to communicate with its neighbours and respond to changes in water conditions that occur on the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary, multimedia, and interactive pages on the site, provide an excellent introduction to a broad spectrum of topics in evolutionary biology. The material also provides a discussion of the role of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetic analysis which is a key tool in understanding evolutionary changes.

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 science.

???? ??? , the companion to PBS's television show Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of a Web page that provides depth as well as wide range of educational resources. The site offers a variety of interactive learning modules. It also has an encased "bread crumb" structure that allows students to transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this massive website that are more closely linked to the world of research science. For instance an animation that introduces the concept of genetic inheritance links to a page highlighting John Endler's artificial selection experiments with guppies in native ponds of Trinidad.

The Evolution Library on this website is a vast multimedia library of assets related to evolution. The content is organized according to curricula-based pathways that correspond to the learning goals established in the biology standards. It includes seven short videos specifically designed for use in classrooms. These can be streamed or purchased as DVDs.

A variety of crucial questions remain in the midst of evolutionary biology, including the factors that trigger evolution and how fast it occurs. This is especially true in the case of human evolution where it was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humanity has a special place in the creation and a soul, with the notion that human beings have innate physical traits were derived from apes.

In addition there are a myriad of ways that evolution can be triggered, with natural selection being the most widely accepted theory. However scientists also study different kinds of evolution, such as mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection, among others.

While many fields of scientific inquiry conflict with literal interpretations of religious texts Evolutionary biology has been the subject of particularly intense controversy and resistance from religious fundamentalists. While some religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the ideas of evolution, others haven't.

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