Evolution Site Tips From The Most Successful In The Business

Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution

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

click the following article , which is a complement to the PBS program that provides teachers with resources that promote evolution education, while avoiding the kinds of misconceptions that can undermine it. It's laid out in a nested "bread crumb" format to make it easy for navigation and orientation.

Definitions

Evolution is a complex and difficult subject matter to teach well. Non-scientists often misunderstand the subject, and some scientists even use a definition which confuses it. This is particularly relevant when discussing the meaning of the words themselves.

It is therefore important to define the terms used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website provides this in an easy and helpful manner. It is an accompanying site for the 2001 series, and also a resource of its own. The content is presented in a nested manner that assists in navigation and orientation.

The site defines terms like common ancestor, gradual process, and adaptation. These terms help frame the nature and significance of evolution to other concepts in science. The site then offers an overview of how the concept of evolution has been tested and validated. This information will help to dispel the myths created by creationists.

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

Adaptation is the process of changing heritable traits to become more suitable to their environment. This is the result of natural selection, which happens when organisms that have better adapted traits are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adaptable characteristics.

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

Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A massive biological molecular that contains the necessary information for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences, which are strung into long chains known as chromosomes. Mutations are responsible for the creation of new genetic information within cells.

Coevolution: A relationship between two species in which evolutionary changes in one species are dependent on evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution can be observed in the interactions between predator and prey, or parasites and hosts.

Origins

Species (groups of individuals that are able to interbreed) develop through a series of natural changes in the characteristics of their offspring. The changes can be caused by a variety that include natural selection, genetic drift, and gene pool mixing. The evolution of a new species could take thousands of years and the process may be slowed or increased due to environmental conditions, such as climate change or competition for food or habitat.

The Evolution site follows the evolution of different groups of animals and plants with a focus on major changes within each group's past. It also focuses on human evolution, which is a topic that is particularly important for students.

When Darwin wrote the Origin, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been discovered. The most famous among them was the skullcap and the associated bones discovered in 1856 at the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany that is now thought as an early Homo neanderthalensis. Although the skullcap was not published until 1858, just a year before the first edition of the Origin appeared, it is highly unlikely that Darwin had ever heard of it.

While the site focuses on biology, it also includes a good deal of information about geology as well as paleontology. The site offers several aspects that are quite impressive, including an overview of the way that climate and geological conditions have changed over the course of time. It also includes an interactive map that shows the location of fossil groups.

Although the site is a companion to a PBS television series however, it can stand on its own as an excellent source for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and offers clear links to the introductory material of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's funding) as well as the more specialized features of the museum website. These hyperlinks facilitate the move from the engaging cartoon style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. In particular there are hyperlinks to John Endler's research with Guppies that demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.

Diversity

The evolution of life on Earth has produced a diversity of animals, plants, and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures within their geographical context and offers many advantages over the current observational and experimental methods in its exploration of evolutionary processes. In addition to examining the processes and events that happen regularly or over a long period of time, paleobiology allows to analyze the diversity of kinds of organisms as well as their distribution throughout the geological time.

The site is divided up into several routes that can be taken to study the subject of evolution. One of these paths, "Evolution 101," walks the reader through the nature and evidence of evolution. The path also examines myths about evolution, and the background of evolutionary thinking.

Each of the main sections on the Evolution website is equally well-designed, with materials that support a variety educational levels and teaching styles. The site offers a wide array of multimedia and interactive resources, including video clips, animations and virtual labs as well as general textual content. The content is presented in a nested bread crumb fashion that aids navigation and orientation within the large web site.

The page "Coral Reef Connections" For instance, it provides a comprehensive overview of the coral's relationships, their interaction with other organisms, and then is enlarged to show a single clam, which can communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in conditions of the water at the reef level. This page, along with 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 includes a discussion on the role of natural selectivity and the concept phylogenetics analysis which is a crucial method for understanding the evolution of change.

Evolutionary Theory

For biology students the concept of evolution is a major thread that connects all the branches of the field. A vast collection of resources supports teaching about evolution across all life sciences.

One resource, which is a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an excellent example of an Web site that provides depth and breadth in its educational resources. The site has a wide array of interactive learning modules. It also has a nested "bread crumb" structure that helps students move from the cartoon-like style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this large Web site more closely linked to the field of research science. Animation that introduces the concept of genetics, which links to a page highlighting John Endler's experiments in artificial selection using Guppies in native ponds in Trinidad.

The Evolution Library on this website contains a large multimedia library of resources that are associated with evolution. The content is organized into the form of curriculum-based pathways that are in line with the learning goals set forth in biology standards. It includes seven short videos intended for use in the classroom. These are available to stream or purchase as DVDs.

Many important questions remain at the core of evolutionary biology, such as what triggers evolution and the speed at which it occurs. This is especially relevant to human evolution, where it's been difficult to reconcile the idea that the physical characteristics of humans derived from apes, and the religions that believe that humanity is unique in the universe and has a special place in creation, with a soul.

In addition there are a variety of ways in which evolution could be triggered with natural selection being the most widely accepted theory. Scientists also study other types like mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection.

While many fields of scientific inquiry conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts evolutionary biology has been the subject of particularly intense controversy and resistance from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the notions of evolution, other religions aren't.