5 Reasons Evolution Site Is A Good Thing

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Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution

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

This rich Web site - companion to the PBS series - provides teachers with materials that promote evolution education and help avoid the kinds of myths that undermine it. It's organized in the "bread crumb" format to aid in navigation and 에볼루션 카지노 orientation.

Definitions

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

As such, it is essential to define terms that are used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a simple and efficient way. The site serves as an accompaniment to the 2001 series, but it is also a resource on its own. The content is presented in a nested fashion that aids navigation and orientation.

The site defines terms such as common ancestor, 에볼루션카지노 gradual process and adaptation. These terms help define the nature and significance of evolution with other scientific concepts. The site gives a comprehensive overview of the manner that evolution has been tested. This information can help dispel myths that are created by the creationists.

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

The process of adaptation is the tendency of heritable traits to be more suited to the environment. This is a result of natural selection, which occurs when organisms that are better adapted traits are more likely to survive and reproduce than those with less adapted characteristics.

Common ancestor (also called common ancestor): The most recent ancestral ancestor shared by two or 에볼루션 슬롯게임 more species. The common ancestor can be identified by analyzing the DNA of these species.

Deoxyribonucleic acid: A huge biological molecule that contains information needed for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences that are strung into long chains, referred to as chromosomes. Mutations are the source of new genetic information in cells.

Coevolution is a relationship between two species in which evolutionary changes in one species are dependent on evolutionary changes in the other. Coevolution is evident in the interactions between predator 에볼루션코리아 and prey, or parasite and hosts.

Origins

Species (groups which can interbreed) develop 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 development of a new species could take thousands of years and the process can be slowed down or accelerated by environmental factors like climate change or the competition for food or habitat.

The Evolution site tracks through time the emergence of various groups of animals and plants with a focus on major changes in each group's history. It also focuses on human evolution and is a subject that is of particular interest to students.

When Darwin wrote the Origin, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been discovered. Among them was the famous skullcap and associated bones found in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany which is now believed to be an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is highly unlikely that Darwin was aware of the skullcap when it was published in 1858, which was a year following the initial edition of The Origin.

The site is mostly a biology site however it also includes lots of information about geology and 에볼루션 블랙잭 paleontology. The most impressive features on the site are a series of timelines that illustrate the way in which climatic and geological conditions have changed over time, and an interactive map of the distribution of a few fossil groups that are featured on the site.

While the site is a companion to a PBS television series however, it can stand on its own as a valuable source for teachers and students. The site is extremely well-organized and has clear links between the introduction material in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more specific components of the museum's Web site. These hyperlinks make it easy to transition from the cartoon-style Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated worlds of research science. There are also links to John Endler's experiments with guppies that illustrate 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 within their natural environment and has many advantages over modern observational and experimental methods in its exploration of evolutionary processes. In addition to examining processes and events that occur regularly or over a lengthy period of time, paleobiology is able to study the diversity of species of organisms and their distribution throughout 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," takes the viewer through the complexities and 에볼루션 사이트 evidence of evolution. The path also examines myths about evolution, as well as the history of evolutionary thinking.

Each of the other sections of the Evolution site is equally well created, with resources that support a variety of different pedagogical levels and curriculum levels. In addition to the general textual content, the site features an extensive selection of multimedia and interactive content including videos, animations and virtual labs. The breadcrumb-like arrangement of the content helps with navigation and orientation on the large web site.

For instance the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides an overview of the relationships between corals and their interactions with other organisms. It then concentrates on a specific clam that can communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in the water conditions at the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary, multimedia and interactive pages on the site, offer an excellent introduction to a wide variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The content also includes an overview of the role of natural selectivity and the concept of phylogenetics analysis as a key tool to understand evolutionary change.

Evolutionary Theory

For biology students, evolution is a key thread that binds all branches of the field. A rich collection supports teaching evolution across the disciplines of life sciences.

One resource, which is a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an exceptional example of an Web site that offers both depth and a variety of educational resources. The site has a variety of interactive learning modules. It also has an "bread crumb structure" that allows students to move away from the cartoon-like style used in Understanding Evolution and onto elements on this large website more closely connected to the worlds of research science. For instance an animation that introduces the idea of genetic inheritance connects to a page that focuses on John Endler's experiments in artificial selection with guppies in 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 curricula-based paths that correspond to the learning goals set forth in the standards for biology. It contains seven videos designed for classroom use. These are available to stream or purchase as DVDs.

Many important questions remain in the midst of evolutionary biology, such as what triggers evolution and the speed at which it occurs. This is particularly true in the case of human evolution which was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humans have a distinct position in the universe and a soul with the idea that innate physical traits originated from the apes.

In addition, there are a number of ways that evolution could be triggered and natural selection is the most widely accepted theory. Scientists also study other types like mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection.

While many fields of scientific inquiry are in conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts Evolutionary biology has been the subject of controversial debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. Some religions have reconciled their beliefs with evolution, but others haven't.