Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology teachers, there are still misconceptions about the evolution. People who have taken in the nonsense of pop science often believe that biologists claim they do not believe in evolution.
This site, which is a companion to the PBS series - provides teachers with materials that promote evolution education and avoids the kinds of myths that make it difficult to understand. It's laid out in a "bread crumb" format to make navigation and orientation easier.
Definitions
Evolution is a complicated and difficult subject matter to teach effectively. Non-scientists often misunderstand the subject, and some scientists even use a definition which confuses it. This is particularly applicable to discussions on the meaning of the word itself.
It is therefore important to define the terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website provides this in a straightforward and useful manner. The site is a companion to the show that premiered in 2001, but it also functions as an independent resource. The content is presented in a way that aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms such as 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 also provides an overview of how the concept of evolution has been tested and validated. This information can help dispel the myths created by creationists.
It is also possible to get the glossary of terms 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 better-adapted 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. The common ancestor can be identified through analyzing the DNA of those species.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A massive biological molecular containing the necessary information for cell replication. The information is stored in sequences of nucleotides that are strung together into long chains, referred to as chromosomes. Mutations are the source of new genetic information in cells.
Coevolution is the relationship between two species in which the evolutionary changes of one species are influenced by 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 can interbreed) develop through a series of natural changes in the traits of their offspring. The changes can be triggered by a variety of causes that include natural selection, genetic drift and mixing of genes. The development of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, such as climate changes or competition for food or habitat can impede or accelerate the process.
The Evolution site tracks the evolution of a number of different animal and plant groups through time with a focus on the key transitions that occurred in the evolution of each group's history. It also explores human evolution as a subject that is of particular interest to students.
Darwin's Origin was published in 1859, when just a handful of antediluvian fossils of humans had been found. Among them was the famous skullcap and associated bones found in 1856 at the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany which is now believed to be an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is unlikely that Darwin was aware of the skullcap when it was published in 1858, one year following the initial edition of The Origin.
The site is primarily an online biology resource however, it also has a lot of information on geology and paleontology. The most impressive features on the site are a series of timelines that show how geological and climatic conditions have changed over time, and a map of the geographical distribution of some fossil groups listed on the site.
Although the site is a companion to the PBS television show, it also stands on its own as a valuable source for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and provides easy links to the introductory material of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's funding) and the more specific features on the museum's website. These links make it easier to transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated worlds of research science. Particularly there are hyperlinks to John Endler's experiments with guppies that illustrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life has resulted in a variety of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology, the study of these creatures within their natural environment is a superior method of study over modern observational or research methods for exploring evolutionary phenomena. Paleobiology focuses on not only processes and events that occur regularly or over time, but also the relative abundance and distribution of different groups of animals in space over the course of the geological time.
The site is divided into several routes that can be taken to study the subject of evolution. One of these paths, "Evolution 101," walks the reader through the complexities and evidence of evolution. The path also examines myths regarding evolution, and also the history of evolutionary thinking.
Each of the main sections of the Evolution website is equally well-designed, with materials that are suited to a variety of curriculum levels and teaching styles. In addition to the general textual content, the site also has an extensive selection of multimedia and interactive resources, such as videos, animations, and virtual labs. The content is laid out in a nested bread crumb-like fashion that helps with navigation and orientation within the vast Web site.
The page "Coral Reef Connections", for example, provides an overview of the relationships between corals, their interaction with other organisms and zooms in to one clam that is able communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in the water conditions that occur on the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary interactive and multimedia pages, gives a good introduction to many topics in evolutionary biology. The content includes an overview of the significance of natural selectivity and the concept phylogenetics analysis, an important tool for understanding evolutionary change.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is a common thread that connects all branches of biology. A wide range of resources helps teachers teach about evolution across the life sciences.
One resource, a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an excellent example of a Web site that offers both the depth and breadth of its educational resources. The site has a wide array of interactive learning modules. It also has an encased "bread crumb" structure that allows students to move from the cartoon-like style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this large Web site more closely linked to the world of research science. An animation that introduces students to the concept of genetics links to a page that highlights John Endler's experiments with artificial selection using guppies on native ponds in Trinidad.
The Evolution Library on this website has a huge multimedia library of resources that are associated to evolution. The content is organized into curricula-based pathways that correspond to the learning objectives set out in the standards for biology. It includes seven short videos specifically designed for classroom use, which can be streamed for Evolutionkr.Kr free or purchased on DVD.
Evolutionary biology remains a field of study with a lot of important questions, including the causes of evolution and the speed at which it occurs. This is particularly relevant for the evolution of humans which was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humanity has a unique place in creation and a soul, with the idea that innate physical traits originated from apes.
There are also a number of other ways in which evolution can take place including natural selection, which is the most widely accepted theory. However scientists also study other kinds of evolution like mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection, among others.
Many fields of inquiry conflict with literal interpretations of religious texts evolutionary biology has been the subject of particularly fierce debate and opposition from religious fundamentalists. Certain religions have embraced their beliefs with evolutionary biology, but others haven't.