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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 been exposed to popular science myths often assume that biologists are saying they don't believe in evolution.

This rich Web site - companion to the PBS series offers teachers with resources that promote evolution education and avoid the kinds of misinformation that can hinder it. It's arranged in a nested "bread crumb" format to facilitate navigation and orientation.

Definitions

It's difficult to effectively teach evolution. Non-scientists often misunderstand the subject and some scientists use a definition which confuses it. This is particularly true when it comes to discussions on the meaning of the word itself.

It is therefore important to define the terms used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a clear and helpful manner. It is a companion for the 2001 series, but also a resource on its own. The information is presented in an organized manner that makes it easier to navigate and understand.

The site defines terms like common ancestor, gradual process, and adaptation. These terms help frame the nature and relationship of evolution to other concepts in science. The site provides an overview of the ways that evolution has been examined. This information can help dispel myths created by creationists.

It is also possible to get the glossary of terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:

Adaptation: The tendency for heritable traits to become better suited to a particular environment. This is the result of natural selection. Organisms with better-adapted traits are more likely than those with less-adapted traits to survive and reproduce.

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 huge biological molecular that contains the information needed for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotides arranged in sequences that are strung together to form long chains, also 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 the parasite and the host.

Origins

Species (groups which can interbreed), evolve by a series of natural variations 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 conditions, like changes in the climate or competition for Evolutionkr.kr food resources and habitat can impede or accelerate the process.

The Evolution site tracks the development of a number of different animal and plant groups through time, focusing on the major transitions that occurred in the evolution of each group's history. It also focuses on human evolution as a subject that is of particular interest for students.

Darwin's Origin was written in 1859, when only a handful of antediluvian fossils of humans were discovered. The most famous among them was the skullcap and the associated bones discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany, which is now known to be an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is unlikely that Darwin was aware of the skullcap when it was published in 1858, which was a year after the publication of the first edition of The Origin. Origin.

While the site is focused on biology, it includes a good deal of information on geology and paleontology. One of the most appealing features on the site are a set of timelines that show how climatic and geological conditions have changed over time, and an outline of the distribution of some fossil groups listed on the site.

While the site is a companion to the PBS television show however, it can stand on its own as a great resource for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and offers clear links to the introduction material of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's support) and the more specific features of the museum website. These hyperlinks make it easier to move from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated realms of research science. Particularly there are hyperlinks to John Endler's research with Guppies that demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.

Diversity

The evolution of life has led to a variety of plants, animals and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures within their natural environment and has numerous advantages over modern observational and experimental methods for analyzing evolutionary phenomena. Paleobiology is able to study not only processes and events that happen regularly or over time, but also the relative abundance and distribution of different species of animals across the geological time.

The website is divided into a variety of ways to learn about 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 of thought.

Each of the other main sections of the Evolution site is similarly constructed, with materials that can be used to support a range of curriculum levels and pedagogical styles. In addition to the standard textual content, the site also has an array of multimedia and interactive resources, such as videos, animations and virtual laboratories. The content is presented in a nested bread crumb-like fashion that helps with navigation and orientation on the web site.

The page "Coral Reef Connections" For instance, the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides a comprehensive overview of the coral's relationships, their interaction with other organisms, and then zooms in on a single clam, which can communicate with its neighbours and respond to changes in the conditions of the water that occur at the reef level. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary, multimedia, and interactive pages on the site, provide an excellent introduction to a wide spectrum of topics in evolutionary biology. The material also provides an overview of the importance of natural selection and the concept of phylogenetic analysis which is a key tool in understanding evolutionary change.

Evolutionary Theory

For biology students evolution is a crucial thread that binds all branches of the field. A wide range of resources helps teachers teach 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 a variety of educational resources. The site offers a range of interactive learning modules. It also features a nested "bread crumb" structure that helps students move from the cartoon-like style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this large Web site closer to the field of research science. An animation that introduces the concept of genetics links to a page highlighting John Endler's experiments in artificial selection using guppies on native ponds in Trinidad.

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

Evolutionary biology remains an area of study with a lot of important questions, such as the causes of evolution and how fast it takes place. This is particularly true for human evolution, where it has been difficult to reconcile that the innate physical characteristics of humans derived from apes with religious beliefs that claim that humans are unique in the universe and has an exclusive place in the creation, with soul.

There are a variety of other ways evolution could occur including natural selection, which is the most widely accepted theory. Scientists also study different types like mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection.

While many fields of scientific inquiry have a conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts evolutionary biology has been the subject of particularly intense controversy and resistance from religious fundamentalists. Certain religions have embraced their beliefs with evolution, while others haven't.