hawkdouble4

Evolution Site – Teaching About Evolution Despite the best efforts by biology educators, there are still a lot of misconceptions regarding evolution. Pop science nonsense has led people to believe that biologists aren't believers in evolution. This rich Web site – companion to the PBS series It provides teachers with materials that support evolution education and help avoid 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 difficult subject matter to teach effectively. Non-scientists often misunderstand the subject, and some scientists even use a definition which confuses it. This is especially true when discussing the meaning of the words themselves. Therefore, it is essential to define terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website provides this in an easy and helpful manner. The site is a companion site to the show that premiered in 2001, but it is also an independent resource. The material is organized in a way that makes it easy to navigate and understand. The site defines terms like common ancestor (or common ancestor), gradual process and adaptation. These terms help to define the nature of evolution and its relation to other scientific concepts. The site then offers an overview of how the concept of evolution has been researched and verified. This information can be used to dispel misconceptions that have been created by the creationists. It is also possible to access the glossary of terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include: Adaptation: The tendency of heritable traits to become better suited to a particular environment. This is a result of natural selection. Organisms with better-adapted traits are more likely than those with less adapted characteristics to survive and reproduce. Common ancestor (also known as common ancestor): The most recent ancestral ancestor shared by two or more species. The common ancestor can be identified by analyzing the DNA of these species. Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A huge biological molecular that contains the necessary information for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences, which are strung into long chains called chromosomes. Mutations are the reason behind the creation of new genetic information inside cells. Coevolution is a relation between two species in which the evolutionary changes of one species influence evolutionary changes of the other. Coevolution can be seen in the interactions between predator and prey, or parasite and hosts. Origins Species (groups that can interbreed) change through a series of natural changes in the traits of their offspring. These changes can be caused by various factors, including natural selection, gene drift, and mixing of the gene pool. The evolution of a new species can take thousands of years, and the process may be slowed down or accelerated by environmental conditions such as climate change or competition for food or habitat. The Evolution site traces through time the evolution of different animal and plant groups, focusing on major transitions in each group's history. It also explores human evolution as a subject that is of particular interest for students. Darwin's Origin was published in 1859, when just a few antediluvian fossils of human beings had been discovered. The famous skullcap, with the bones that accompanied it, was discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. 에볼루션카지노 is now recognized as an early Homo neanderthalensis. Although the skullcap was not published until 1858, which was one year after the first edition of the Origin appeared, it is highly unlikely that Darwin had heard or seen of it. The site is primarily an online biology resource, but it also contains many details on paleontology and geology. One of the most appealing features of the Web site are a series of timelines that illustrate the way in which climatic and geological conditions have changed over time as well as an outline of the geographical distribution of some fossil groups that are featured on the site. Although the site is a companion to a PBS television series however, it can stand on its own as a valuable resource for teachers and students. The site is well-organized, and provides clear links to the introductory material of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's funding) and the more specific features of the museum website. These hyperlinks make it easier to move from the cartoon-style Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated realms of research science. 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 resulted in many species of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures in their natural environment, has many advantages over the current observational or experimental methods for studying evolutionary processes. Paleobiology is able to study not only the process and events that occur frequently or over time, but also the distribution and frequency of different groups of animals in space over the course of the geological time. The Web site is divided into various pathways to understanding evolution which include “Evolution 101,” which takes the viewer on a liner path through the scientific process and the evidence to support the theory of evolution. The path also explores common misconceptions about evolution as well as the evolution theory's history. Each of the other sections of the Evolution site is equally well constructed, with materials that can support a variety of different pedagogical levels and curriculum levels. In addition to the general textual content, the site also has an extensive selection of multimedia and interactive content including videos, animations and virtual laboratories. The breadcrumb-like arrangement of the content helps with navigation and orientation on the vast web site. The page “Coral Reef Connections”, for example, provides a comprehensive overview of the coral's relationships and their interactions with other organisms and zooms in on one clam, which can communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in the conditions of the water that occur at the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary, multimedia, and interactive pages on the website, provide an excellent introduction to a wide range of topics in evolutionary biology. The material also provides a discussion of the role of natural selection as well as the concept of phylogenetic analysis which is an important tool in understanding evolutionary change. Evolutionary Theory Evolution is an underlying thread that is found throughout all branches of biology. A wide selection of resources helps teachers teach evolution across the life science disciplines. One resource, which is the companion to PBS's television show Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of an Web page that provides depth and broadness in terms of educational resources. The site has a wide array of interactive learning modules. It also features an encased “bread crumb” structure that allows students to move from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this large Web site closer to the field of research science. For instance an animation that explains the notion of genetic inheritance leads to a page that highlights John Endler's artificial selection experiments using guppies in the ponds of his native country of Trinidad. Another useful resource is the Evolution Library on this Web site, which contains an extensive collection of multimedia assets related to evolution. The content is organized according to curriculum-based paths that parallel the learning objectives set out in biology standards. It contains seven videos specifically designed for use in the classroom, and can be streamed at no cost or purchased on DVD. Many important questions remain in the midst of evolutionary biology, including what causes evolution to occur and the speed at which it occurs. This is especially true for humans' evolution where it was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humanity has a unique place in the creation and a soul with the notion that our physical traits originated from Apes. There are also a number of other ways evolution can occur and natural selection being the most well-known theory. However scientists also study other kinds of evolution, such as mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection, among others. While many scientific fields of inquiry conflict with literal interpretations of religious texts Evolutionary biology has been the subject of particularly controversial debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have managed to reconcile their beliefs with the ideas of evolution, others haven't.