Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology teachers, there are still misconceptions about the evolution. People who have taken in pop science nonsense often assume that biologists are saying they do not believe in evolution.
This site, which is a companion to the PBS series - provides teachers with materials which support evolution education and avoids the kinds of myths that make it difficult to understand. It's organized in a nested "bread crumb" format to facilitate navigation and orientation.
Definitions
It is difficult to teach evolution well. Many non-scientists are unable to grasp the concept and some scientists use a definition which confuses it. This is especially relevant when discussing the nature of the words themselves.
It is therefore essential to define the terms used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a simple and efficient way. The site is a companion site to the show that premiered in 2001, but it can also function as an independent resource. The content is presented in a nested manner which aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms like common ancestor, gradual process and so on. These terms help to frame the nature of evolution and its relation 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 access a glossary which contains terms that are used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation is the tendency of heritable traits to be more suited to the environment. This is a result of natural selection, which happens when organisms with more adaptable 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 analyzing DNA from these species, it is possible to identify the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A massive biological molecular containing the necessary information for cell replication. hop over to here is stored in nucleotide sequences, which are strung into long chains called chromosomes. Mutations are responsible for the creation of new genetic information inside cells.
Coevolution is a relationship between two species in which evolutionary changes in one species are influenced by evolutionary changes in the other. Examples of coevolution are the interactions between predator and prey or parasite and host.
Origins
Species (groups that can interbreed) develop through a series natural changes in the traits of their offspring. The causes of these changes are numerous factors, like natural selection, gene drift and mixing of the gene pool. The evolution of new species could take thousands of years. Environmental circumstances, such as climate change or competition for food resources and habitat can slow or speed up the process.
The Evolution site tracks through time the evolution of different groups of animals and plants with a focus on major changes in each group's history. It also explores human evolution as a subject of particular importance to students.
When Darwin wrote the Origin in 1859, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been found. The famous skullcap, along 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 unlikely that Darwin was aware of the skullcap when it was published in 1858, one year after the publication of the first edition of The Origin.
The site is mostly one of biology however, it also has lots of information about geology and paleontology. The Web site has numerous features that are especially impressive, such as an overview of the way that climate and geological conditions have changed over time. It also includes an interactive map that shows the location of fossil groups.
The site is a companion for a PBS television series, but it could also be used as an educational resource for teachers and students. The site is well-organized, and provides clear links to the introductory content of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's assistance) and the more specialized features of the museum's website. These links facilitate the transition from the enthralling cartoon style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. There are links to John Endler’s experiments with guppies. They illustrate the importance ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life has produced a variety of plants, animals and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures in their geological context and has a number of advantages over the modern observational and research methods in its exploration of evolutionary phenomena. In addition to exploring the processes and events that happen frequently or over a long period of time, paleobiology can be used to study the diversity of kinds of organisms as well as their distribution in space over geological time.
The Web site is divided into a variety of pathways to understanding evolution, including "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a line through the science of nature and the evidence to support the theory of evolution. The path also reveals common misconceptions about evolution and the evolution of thought.
Each of the main sections of the Evolution website is equally well-developed, and includes materials that are suited to a variety of levels of curriculum and teaching methods. The site offers a wide array of interactive and multimedia resources that include videos, animations, and virtual labs in addition to general textual content. The breadcrumb-like arrangement of the content aids in navigation and orientation on the large website.
The page "Coral Reef Connections", for example, provides a comprehensive overview of coral relationships, their interaction with other organisms and then is enlarged to show one clam, which is able to communicate with its neighbors and react to changes in the water conditions that occur on the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary multimedia and interactive pages, offers a great introduction to the many areas of evolutionary biology. The material also provides an explanation of the role of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetic analysis, which is a crucial method to understand evolutionary changes.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students evolution is a crucial thread that binds all branches of the field. A wide selection of resources helps teachers teach evolution across the disciplines of life science.
One resource, which is the companion to PBS's television show Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of an Web page that provides depth as well as broadness in terms of educational resources. The site offers a variety of interactive learning modules. It also has a "bread crumb structure" that allows students to move away from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution and onto elements of this vast website that are closely connected to the fields of research science. For example an animation that introduces the concept of genetic inheritance links to a page that highlights John Endler's experiments in artificial selection using guppies in the ponds of his native country of Trinidad.
Another helpful resource is the Evolution Library on this Web website, which includes an extensive collection of multimedia resources that are related to evolution. The content is organized according to the form of curriculum-based pathways that are in line with the learning objectives outlined in the biology standards. It contains seven videos designed specifically for use in classrooms, and can be streamed for free or purchased on DVD.
Evolutionary biology remains a field of study with a lot of important questions to answer, such as what causes evolution and the speed at which it takes place. This is especially applicable to human evolution where it's been difficult to reconcile the notion that the innate physical characteristics of humans were derived from apes and religious beliefs that claim that humans are unique among living things and has a special place in creation, with a soul.
Additionally, there are a number of ways that evolution can occur and natural selection is the most popular theory. However scientists also study other kinds of evolution, such as mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection, among others.
While many fields of scientific study conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts, evolution biology has been the subject of intense controversy and opposition from religious fundamentalists. Some religions have reconciled their beliefs to evolution while others haven't.