Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, there are still a lot of misconceptions about the evolution. People who have taken in pop science nonsense often assume that biologists are saying they don't believe in evolution.
This rich Web site - companion to the PBS series It provides teachers with materials which support evolution education and avoid the kinds of myths that hinder it. It's organized in a "bread crumb" format to make navigation and orientation easier.
Definitions
It is difficult to properly teach evolution. Many non-scientists are unable to grasp the concept and some scientists employ a definition that confuses it. This is especially relevant when it comes to the meaning of the words themselves.
It is important to define terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website does this in an easy and helpful manner. 에볼루션게이밍 is a companion to the series that first aired in 2001, but is also an independent resource. The content is organized in a manner that makes it easier to navigate and understand.
The site defines terms like common ancestor, gradual process and so on. These terms help frame the nature of evolution as well as its relation to other scientific concepts. The site gives a comprehensive overview of the way the concept of evolution has been tested. This information can be used to dispel myths that have been engendered by the creationists.
You can also access a glossary which contains terms that are used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency of heritable traits to become better adaptable to a specific environment. This is a result of natural selection. Organisms with better-adapted traits are more likely than those with less adaptable traits to reproduce and survive.
Common ancestor: The most recent common ancestor of two or more distinct species. By analyzing the DNA from these species, it is possible to determine the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A large biological molecular that holds 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 cause of new genetic information in cells.
Coevolution: A relationship between two species in which evolutionary changes in one species are affected by changes in evolutionary processes in the other. Examples of coevolution include the interactions between predator and prey or host and parasite.
Origins
Species (groups that can interbreed) develop through a series natural changes in their offspring's traits. These changes are caused by a variety of causes, including natural selection, genetic drift and gene pool mixing. The evolution of a new species may take thousands of years, and the process can be slowed or increased due to environmental conditions, such as climate change or competition for food or habitat.
The Evolution site traces the emergence of various groups of animals and plants over time and focuses on the most significant changes that took place in the evolution of each group's history. It also focuses on the human evolutionary roots which is particularly important for students to understand.
When Darwin wrote the Origin of Species, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been found. One of them was the infamous skullcap and bones that were discovered in 1856 at the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany that is now thought to be an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is unlikely that Darwin knew about the skullcap, which was first published in 1858, one year following the initial edition of The Origin.
While the site focuses on biology, it also includes a good deal of information on geology and paleontology. The website has numerous features that are particularly impressive, such as the timeline of the way that climate and geological conditions have changed over the course of time. It also has an interactive map that shows the location of fossil groups.
The site is a companion to the PBS TV series but it can also be used as an educational resource 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 specialized elements of the museum Web site. These links facilitate the transition from the cartoon-like style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. There are links to John Endler’s experiments with guppies, which illustrate the importance ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life has resulted in a variety of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures within their natural environment and has a number of advantages over modern observational and experimental methods in its exploration of evolutionary processes. In addition to examining processes and events that occur frequently or over a long period of time, paleobiology can be used to analyze the diversity of groups of organisms and their distribution throughout geological time.
The website is divided into various paths that can be chosen to learn about evolution. One of the paths, "Evolution 101," walks the reader through the evolution of nature and the evidence of evolution. The path also explores misconceptions about evolution, and also the history of evolutionary thinking.
Each of the main sections on the Evolution website is equally well-developed, and includes materials that are suited to a variety of curriculum levels and teaching styles. In addition to the general textual content, the site features a wide range of multimedia and interactive resources like videos, animations and virtual labs. The breadcrumb-like arrangement of the content aids in navigation and orientation on the massive Web site.
For example, the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides an overview of the relationships between corals and their interactions with other organisms, then concentrates on a specific clam that can communicate with its neighbors and react to changes in the water conditions that take place at the reef level. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary interactive and multimedia pages gives a good introduction to the many areas of evolutionary biology. The information also includes an overview of the importance of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetic analysis which is an important tool in understanding evolutionary change.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is an underlying thread that connects all branches of biology. 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 as well as broadness in terms of educational resources. The site has a variety of interactive learning modules. It also features an "bread crumb structure" that assists students in moving away from the cartoon-like style that is used in Understanding Evolution and onto elements on this large website more closely connected to the realms of research science. An animation that introduces the concept of genetics is linked to a page highlighting John Endler's experiments in artificial selection using Guppies living in ponds native to Trinidad.
Another useful resource is the Evolution Library on this web site, which contains an extensive multimedia library of resources connected to evolution. The content is organized in curricula-based paths that correspond to the learning objectives set out in the standards for biology. It contains seven short videos designed for use in classrooms. These are available to stream or purchase as DVDs.
A number of important questions remain at the core of evolutionary biology, such as what triggers evolution and the speed at which it occurs. This is particularly applicable to human evolution where it has been difficult to reconcile that the physical traits of humans were derived from apes and religious beliefs that hold that humanity is unique among living things and has an exclusive place in the creation, with a soul.
Additionally, there are a number of ways that evolution could be triggered with natural selection being the most widely accepted theory. However scientists also study different types of evolution such as mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection, among others.
Although many scientific fields of study are in conflict with literal interpretations found in religious texts, evolution biology has been the subject of intense controversy and opposition from religious fundamentalists. While some religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the notions of evolution, others have not.