15 Best Documentaries About Evolution Site

Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution

Despite the best efforts by biology teachers, there are still misconceptions about the evolution.  에볼루션카지노사이트  who have absorbed pop science nonsense often assume that biologists claim they don't believe in evolution.

This rich Web site, a companion to the PBS program, provides teachers with materials that support the evolution of education, while avoiding the kinds of misconceptions that make it difficult to understand. It's organized in the "bread crumb" format to aid in navigation and orientation.

Definitions

It is difficult to properly teach evolution. People who are not scientists often have a difficult time understanding the subject and some scientists use a definition that confuses it. This is especially true when it comes to discussions about the definition of the word itself.

Therefore, it is crucial to define the terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website provides this in a straightforward and useful manner. The site serves as an accompaniment to the 2001 series, and also a resource on its own. The content is presented in a nested fashion that aids navigation and orientation.

The site defines terms like common ancestor, gradual process and adaptation. These terms help frame the nature and significance of evolution to other concepts in science. The site then offers an overview of how the concept of evolution has been researched and verified. This information can be used to dispel misconceptions that have been propagated by the creationists.

You can also access a glossary that includes terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:

Adaptation is the process of changing heritable traits to become more suited to the environment. This is the result of natural selection, which happens when organisms that are better adapted traits are more likely survive and reproduce than those with less adapted traits.

Common ancestor: The latest common ancestor of two or more distinct species. By studying the DNA of these species it is possible to determine the common ancestor.

Deoxyribonucleic acid: A huge biological molecule that holds 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 responsible for the creation of new genetic information within cells.

Coevolution: A relationship between two species in which evolutionary changes in one species are influenced by evolutionary changes in the other. Examples of coevolution include the interactions between predator and prey or host and parasite.

Origins

Species (groups which can interbreed), evolve by a series of natural variations in the traits of their offspring. These changes can be caused by many factors, such as natural selection, gene drift, and mixing of the gene pool. The development of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, such as climate changes or competition for food and habitat can impede or accelerate the process.

The Evolution site tracks the development of various groups of animals and plants over time, focusing on the major transitions that occurred in the history of each group. It also focuses on the evolutionary history of humans, a topic that is particularly important for students to comprehend.

Darwin's Origin was written in 1859, at a time when only a few antediluvian fossils of humans had been found. Among them was the famous skullcap and bones that were discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany that is now thought to be an early Homo neanderthalensis. Although the skullcap was not published until 1858, one year after the first edition of the Origin appeared, it is highly unlikely that Darwin had ever heard of it.

The site is mostly a biology site however, it also has a lot of information on geology and paleontology. One of the most appealing features of the Web site are a set of timelines that illustrate the way in which climatic and geological conditions have changed over time and a map of the distribution of a few of the fossil groups featured on the site.

Although the site is a companion to the PBS television series, it also stands on its own as an excellent 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 specialized elements of the museum Web site. These hyperlinks facilitate the move from the enthralling cartoon style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. Particularly, there are links to John Endler's experiments with Guppies that demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.

Diversity

The evolution of life on Earth has resulted in a variety of plants, animals, and insects. Paleobiology, the study of these creatures in their geological context offers many advantages over modern observational or research methods of studying evolutionary processes. In addition to exploring the processes and events that happen regularly or over a long period of time, paleobiology can be used to study the relative abundance of various kinds of organisms as well as their distribution in space over the geological time.

The site is divided into different paths that can be chosen to learn about evolution. One of the paths, "Evolution 101," takes the viewer through the complexities and evidence of evolution. The path also explores the most common misconceptions about evolution, as well as the history of evolutionary thought.

Each of the other sections of the Evolution site is equally developed, with materials that support a variety of curriculum levels and pedagogical styles. In addition to the general textual content, the site also has a wide range of multimedia and interactive resources like videos, animations and virtual labs. The breadcrumb-like arrangement of the content assists with navigation and orientation on the large web site.

The page "Coral Reef Connections" For instance, it provides a comprehensive overview of coral relationships and their interactions with other organisms, and then is enlarged to show one clam that is able to communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in conditions of the water that occur at the reef level. This page, along with the other multidisciplinary, multimedia, and interactive pages on the website, provide an excellent introduction to a broad range of topics in evolutionary biology. The material includes an overview of the significance of natural selectivity and the concept of phylogenetics analysis as a key method for understanding the evolution of change.

Evolutionary Theory

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

One resource, a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an exceptional example of a Web site that offers both the depth and breadth of its educational resources. The site has a variety of interactive learning modules. It also features an encased "bread crumb" structure that allows students to transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this massive website that are more closely tied to the field of research science. For instance an animation that explains the notion of genetic inheritance leads to a page that focuses on John Endler's experiments in artificial selection with guppies from the native ponds of Trinidad.

The Evolution Library on this website has a huge multimedia library of assets related with evolution. The content is organized into the form of curriculum-based pathways that are in line with the learning objectives set out in the biology standards. It contains seven videos designed for use in classrooms. These can be viewed online or purchased as DVDs.

Evolutionary biology remains an area of study that poses many important questions, such as what causes evolution and how quickly it happens. This is particularly true for humans' evolution where it was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that held that humanity has a unique place in the creation and a soul, with the notion that human beings have innate physical traits were derived from apes.

In addition, there are a number of ways that evolution can occur and natural selection is the most widely accepted theory. Scientists also study other kinds such as genetic drift, and sexual selection.

While many fields of scientific inquiry have a conflict with literal interpretations of the Bible, evolutionary biology has been the subject of particularly controversial debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the ideas of evolution, others have not.