How Evolution Site Influenced My Life For The Better

Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution

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

This site, which is a companion to the PBS series - provides teachers with materials which support evolution education and avoid the kinds of misconceptions that undermine it. It's organized in a nested "bread crumb" format to make it easy for navigation and orientation.

Definitions

It's not easy to teach evolution well. It is often misunderstood by non-scientists, and even some scientists use an interpretation that is confusing the issue. This is particularly relevant to discussions about the definition of the word itself.

Recommended Website  is therefore essential to define the terms used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website does this in a straightforward and useful way. The site is a companion to the series that first aired in 2001, but is also an independent resource. The content is presented in a nested fashion that aids navigation and orientation.

The site defines terms such as common ancestor, the gradual process and adaptation. These terms help frame the nature of evolution and its relationship to other concepts in science. The site then offers an overview of how the concept of evolution has been tested and confirmed. This information can be used to dispel myths that have been created by creationists.

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

Adaptation is the tendency of hereditary traits to become more suited to the environment. This is a result of natural selection. Organisms that have better-adapted traits are more likely than those with less-adapted characteristics to survive and reproduce.

Common ancestor (also known as common ancestor) is the most recent ancestor that is shared by two or more species. By analyzing the DNA from these species, it is possible to identify the common ancestor.

Deoxyribonucleic acid: A large biological molecule that contains information necessary for cell replication. The information is contained in a sequence of nucleotides that are strung together to form long chains, called chromosomes. Mutations are the reason behind the creation of new genetic information inside cells.

Coevolution is the relationship between two species in which the evolutionary changes of one species are influenced evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution can be observed through the interaction between predator and prey, or parasites and hosts.

Origins

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

The Evolution site tracks through time the evolution of various species of plants and animals with a focus on major changes in each group's past. It also examines the evolutionary history of humans which is particularly important for students to comprehend.

When Darwin wrote the Origin, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been discovered. The most famous among them was the skullcap and associated bones found in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany that is now thought to be an early Homo neanderthalensis. While the skullcap wasn't published until 1858, just one year before the first edition of the Origin was published, it is extremely unlikely that Darwin had seen or heard of it.

The site is mostly a biology site however it also includes a lot of information on paleontology and geology. The most impressive features of the Web site are a set of timelines which show the way in which climatic and geological conditions have changed over time as well as an interactive map of the distribution of some fossil groups listed on the site.

The site is a companion to the PBS television series, but it can also be used as an educational resource for teachers and students. The site is very well-organized and offers clear links between the introductory material in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more sophisticated elements of the museum Web site. These hyperlinks make it easy to move from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated worlds of research science. Particularly there are links to John Endler's experiments using Guppies, which demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.

Diversity

The evolution of life on Earth has led to a wide variety of animals, plants, and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures in their geological context and has many advantages over the modern observational and research methods of examining evolutionary processes. In addition to studying processes and events that take place regularly or over a lengthy period of time, paleobiology can be used to study the relative abundance of different species of organisms and their distribution across the course of geological time.

The Web site is divided into various paths to learning evolution that include "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a line through the scientific process and the evidence to support the theory of evolution. The path also explores misconceptions regarding evolution, and also the history of evolutionary thought.

Each of the main sections of the Evolution website is equally well-designed, with materials that are suited to a variety of educational levels and teaching styles. In addition to general textual content, the site features an array of interactive and multimedia resources like videos, animations, and virtual laboratories. The breadcrumb-like arrangement of the content helps with navigation and orientation on the large Web site.

The page "Coral Reef Connections", for example, provides a comprehensive overview of the coral's relationships, their interaction with other organisms and then is enlarged to show one clam that is able communicate with its neighbours and respond to changes in the water conditions that occur on the reef level. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary interactive and multimedia pages offers a great introduction to many topics in evolutionary biology. The content also includes an explanation of the role of natural selectivity and the concept of phylogenetics as a key tool to understand evolutionary changes.

Evolutionary Theory

Evolution is an underlying thread that runs through all branches of biology. A wide range 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 a Web site that provides depth and a variety of educational resources. The site offers a range of interactive learning modules. It also has a nested "bread crumb" structure that allows students to transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this huge site that are closer to the field of research science. For instance, an animation introducing 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.

Another helpful resource is the Evolution Library on this site, which has an extensive multimedia library of resources related to evolution. The content is organized into curriculum-based pathways that correspond to the learning objectives outlined in biology standards. It includes seven short videos that are designed for classroom use. They are available to stream or purchase as DVDs.

Evolutionary biology is still an area of study that poses many important questions, such as what causes evolution and the speed at which it takes place. This is especially relevant to human evolution, which has made it difficult to reconcile the idea that the innate physical characteristics of humans were derived from apes and religious beliefs that hold that humans are unique among living things and holds a an exclusive place in the creation with a soul.

Additionally, there are a number of ways in which evolution could be triggered, with natural selection being the most widely accepted 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 have a conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts, evolution biology has been a subject of intense controversy and opposition from religious fundamentalists. Certain religions have reconciled their beliefs to evolution while others haven't.