Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution

Despite the best efforts of biology teachers, misinformation about evolution remain. Pop science nonsense has led people to think that biologists don't believe in evolution.

This site, which is a complement to the PBS program, provides teachers with materials which support evolution education, while avoiding the kinds of misconceptions that undermine it. It's arranged in a nested "bread crumb" format for ease of navigation and orientation.

Definitions

It's not easy to properly teach evolution. It is often misunderstood by non-scientists and even some scientists have been guilty of using definitions that confuse the issue. This is particularly true when it comes to debates about the meaning of the word itself.

It is crucial to define the terms used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website helps you define these terms in a simple and efficient manner. The site is both an accompanying site for the 2001 series, and also a resource of its own. The content is presented in a way that assists in navigation and orientation.

The site defines terms such as common ancestor, gradual process and adaptation. These terms help frame the nature and relationship of evolution to other scientific concepts. The website provides a summary of the ways in which evolution has been tested. This information can help dispel myths that are created by the creationists.

It is also possible to access a glossary of terms that are used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:

The process of adaptation is the tendency of heritable traits to become better suited to an environment. This is the result of natural selection. It occurs when organisms that have better-adapted characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adapted characteristics.

Common ancestor: The most recent common ancestor of two or more species. By studying the DNA of these species, it is possible to determine the common ancestor.

Deoxyribonucleic acid: Www.Evolutionkr.Kr A massive biological molecule that contains information required for cell replication. The information is stored in a sequence of nucleotides that are strung together into long chains, also known as chromosomes. Mutations are the cause of new genetic information in cells.

Coevolution: A relationship between two species where evolutionary changes in one species are influenced by evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution can be seen through the interaction between predator and prey, or parasites and hosts.

Origins

Species (groups that can interbreed) develop through a series natural changes in the traits of their offspring. The causes of these changes are various factors, including natural selection, gene drift, and mixing of the gene pool. The development of a new species could take thousands of years, and the process could be slowed or increased by environmental factors like climate change or competition for food or habitat.

The Evolution site traces the emergence of various groups of animals and plants over time, focusing on the major shifts that occurred throughout the evolution of each group's history. It also explores the evolutionary origin of humans, a topic that is crucial for students to comprehend.

When Darwin wrote the Origin, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been discovered. The famous skullcap, with the bones associated with it were discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now regarded as an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is highly unlikely that Darwin was aware of the skullcap, which was first published in 1858, one year after the publication of the first edition of The Origin. Origin.

The site is primarily a biology site however, it also has lots of information about paleontology and geology. The Web site has numerous features that are especially impressive, such as an overview of how 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 be used as a source for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and offers clear links to the introduction information of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's funding) and the more specialized features on the museum's website. These hyperlinks make it easy to transition from the cartoon-style Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated realms of research science. Particularly there are hyperlinks to John Endler's research with guppies that illustrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.

Diversity

The evolution of life on Earth has resulted in a variety of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology, the study of these creatures within their natural environment offers many advantages over the current observational or experimental methods for studying evolutionary processes. Paleobiology can examine not just the processes and events that occur regularly or over time, but also the relative abundance and distribution of different groups of animals in space throughout the geological time.

The website is divided into various options to study the subject of evolution. One of the paths, "Evolution 101," guides the user through the nature and evidence of evolution. The path also explores misconceptions regarding evolution, and also the history of evolutionary thinking.

Each of the main sections of the Evolution website is equally well-developed, and includes materials that support a variety curriculum levels and teaching styles. In addition to the general textual content, the site also has an extensive selection of interactive and multimedia resources, such as videos, animations, and virtual labs. The content is presented in a nested bread crumb fashion that aids navigation and orientation on the Web site.

For example the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides an overview of coral relationships and their interactions with other organisms. Then, it zooms in on a single clam that can communicate with its neighbors and react to changes in the water conditions that take place at the level of the reef. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary interactive and multimedia pages offers a great introduction to a variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The information also includes an overview of the importance of natural selection as well as the concept of phylogenetic analysis which is an important method to understand evolutionary changes.

Evolutionary Theory

Evolution is an underlying thread that runs through all branches of biology. A wide range of resources helps teachers teach about evolution across the life sciences.

One resource, a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an outstanding example of a Web site that offers both depth and a variety of educational resources. The site has a wide array of interactive learning modules. It also features an encased "bread crumb" structure that helps students transition 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 introduces the notion of genetic inheritance leads to a page that focuses on John Endler's artificial selection experiments with guppies from the native ponds of Trinidad.

The Evolution Library on this website has a huge multimedia library of materials that deal with evolution. The content is organized in curriculum-based pathways that correspond to the learning goals set forth in the biology standards. It contains seven videos designed for classroom use. They can be streamed or purchased as DVDs.

Evolutionary biology is still a field of study that poses many important questions to answer, such as the causes of evolution and the speed at which it takes place. This is particularly relevant to human evolution, where it has been difficult to reconcile the notion that the physical traits of humans derived from apes and religious beliefs that claim that humanity is unique among living things and holds a an enviable place in creation with soul.

Additionally, there are a number of ways in which evolution could occur and natural selection is the most widely accepted theory. However, scientists also study other kinds of evolution like mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection, among other things.

Although many scientific fields of study conflict with literal interpretations found in religious texts, the concept of evolution biology has been the subject of intense debate and opposition from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have managed to reconcile their beliefs with the notions of evolution, other religions aren't.