The email you entered is already receiving Daily Bits Emails!
Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misinformation about evolution persist. Pop science nonsense has led many people to believe that biologists don't believe evolution. This site, which is a complement to the PBS program offers teachers resources which support evolution education while avoiding the types of misconceptions which undermine it. It's organized in a "bread crumb" format to make navigation and orientation easier. Definitions It's difficult to properly teach evolution. Many non-scientists are unable to grasp the concept and some scientists use a definition that confuses it. This is particularly true when discussing the meaning of the words themselves. It is therefore important to define the terms used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website does this in a simple and efficient manner. The site is a companion site to the series that first aired in 2001, but can also function as an independent resource. The information is presented in a structured manner that makes it simpler to navigate and comprehend. The site defines terms such as common ancestor and gradual process. These terms help to define the nature of evolution and its relationship to other concepts in science. The site gives a comprehensive overview of the manner in which evolution has been tested. This information can be used to dispel the myths that have been engendered by creationists. You can also access a glossary which includes 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, which happens when organisms with more adaptable characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adaptable traits. Common ancestor: The latest common ancestor of two or more distinct species. The common ancestor can be identified by analyzing the DNA of the species. Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A large biological molecular that contains the information needed for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences which are strung into long chains known as chromosomes. Mutations are the source of new genetic information in cells. Coevolution is a relationship between two species in which evolutionary changes in one species are affected by changes in evolutionary processes in the other. Coevolution can be observed in the interaction of predator and prey, or parasites and hosts. Origins Species (groups of individuals that are able to interbreed) change through an array of natural changes in the characteristics of their offspring. These changes are caused by a variety of factors such as natural selection, genetic drift and mixing of genes. The evolution of a new species could take thousands of years, and the process can be slowed down or accelerated by environmental conditions such as climate change or the competition for food or habitat. The Evolution site tracks the development of a variety of groups of animals and plants over time with a focus on the key shifts that occurred throughout each group's history. It also focuses on human evolution and is a subject that is particularly important to students. When Darwin wrote the Origin, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been found. Among them was the famous skullcap and associated bones found in 1856 at the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany which is now believed as an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is unlikely that Darwin knew about the skullcap, which was published in 1858, one year after the first edition of The Origin. Origin. While the site is focused on biology, it includes a good deal of information about geology as well as paleontology. The most impressive features of the Web site are a series of timelines that show how climatic and geological conditions changed over time, and an outline of the distribution of some fossil groups that are featured on the site. While the site is a companion to the PBS television series, it also stands on its own as an excellent source 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 support) and the more specialized features on the museum's website. These hyperlinks make it easier to transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated worlds of research science. Particularly, 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 resulted in a variety of plants, animals, and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures within their geographical context and offers numerous advantages over the modern observational and research methods of examining evolutionary processes. In addition to examining the processes and events that happen regularly or over a long period of time, paleobiology can be used to examine the relative abundance of different species of organisms and their distribution throughout the geological time. The site is divided up into different routes that can be taken to gain knowledge about evolution. Going On this page of the paths, "Evolution 101," walks the reader through the complexities and evidence of evolution. The path also explores misconceptions about evolution, and the background of evolutionary thought. Each of the other major sections of the Evolution site is similarly created, with resources that can be used to support a range of educational levels and pedagogical styles. The site includes a variety of interactive and multimedia content which include videos, animations, and virtual labs, in addition to its general textual content. The content is presented in a nested bread crumb style that facilitates navigation and orientation within the large web site. The page "Coral Reef Connections" For instance, the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides a comprehensive overview of the relationships between corals, their interaction with other organisms and then zooms in to a single clam, which can communicate with its neighbors and react to changes in conditions of the water that occur at the reef level. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary, multimedia, and interactive pages on the site, offer an excellent introduction to a broad variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The material includes an overview of the significance of natural selectivity and the concept of phylogenetics as a key tool to understand evolutionary change. Evolutionary Theory Evolution is a common thread that connects all branches of biology. A rich collection supports teaching evolution across the life science disciplines. One resource, which is the companion to PBS's television series Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of an Web site that provides depth as well as broadness in terms of educational resources. The site offers a variety of interactive learning modules. It also features an embedded "bread crumb" structure that allows students to move from the cartoon-like style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this huge site that are more closely tied to the world of research science. For instance an animation that introduces the notion of genetic inheritance leads to a page highlighting John Endler's experiments in artificial selection with guppies from the native ponds of Trinidad. The Evolution Library on this website is a vast multimedia library of assets related with evolution. The content is organized according to curricula-based pathways that correspond to the learning objectives set out in the biology standards. It includes seven short videos specifically designed for classroom use, which can be streamed at no cost or purchased on DVD. Many important questions remain at the heart of evolutionary biology, such as the factors that trigger evolution and how fast it happens. This is particularly relevant in the case of human evolution where it was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humanity has a special place in creation and a soul, with the notion that human beings have innate physical traits originated from the apes. Additionally, there are a number of ways in which evolution could be triggered with natural selection being the most popular theory. However, scientists also study other types of evolution such as mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection, among other things. While many scientific fields of inquiry are in conflict with literal interpretations of the Bible, 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 notions of evolution, others haven't.
Member since: Tuesday, December 31, 2024
http://mozillabd.science/index.php?title=velezbachmann4039
