5. Evolution Site Projects For Any Budget

Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution

Despite the best efforts of biology teachers, there are still misconceptions about the evolution. People who have taken in popular science myths often assume that biologists are saying they do not believe in evolution.

This site, which is a companion to the PBS series offers teachers with resources that promote evolution education and avoid the kinds of myths that hinder it. It's laid out in the "bread crumb" format to make navigation and orientation easier.

Definitions

It's difficult to properly teach evolution. It is often misunderstood by non-scientists, and even scientists are guilty of using definitions that confuse the issue. This is especially true when discussing the definition of the words.

It is therefore essential to define the terms that are used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a clear and helpful way. The website is a companion to the show that premiered in 2001, but it also functions as an independent resource. The content is presented in a nested manner that aids navigation and orientation.

The site defines terms like common ancestor and gradual process. These terms help to define the nature and relationship of evolution to other scientific concepts. The website then provides an overview of how the concept of evolution has been vetted and confirmed. This information can be used to dispel myths that have been propagated by the creationists.

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

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

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

Deoxyribonucleic Acid: A huge biological molecular containing the information needed for cell replication. The information is contained in nucleotides arranged in sequences that are strung together into long chains, called chromosomes. Mutations are the source of new genetic information within cells.

Coevolution is a relationship between two species, where the evolution of one species are influenced evolutionary changes of the other. Examples of coevolution include the interaction between predator and prey or host and parasite.

Origins

Species (groups of individuals that are able to interbreed) change through 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 gene pool mixing.  our homepage  of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental circumstances, such as climate changes or competition for food and habitat can slow or speed up the process.

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

When Darwin wrote the Origin in 1859, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils 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 highly unlikely that Darwin was aware of the skullcap, which was first published in 1858, a year after the publication of the first edition of The Origin. Origin.

While  our homepage  focuses on biology, it also contains a wealth of information on geology and paleontology. The most impressive features of the website are a set of timelines which show how climatic and geological 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 a PBS television series, it also stands on its own as an excellent resource for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and offers easy links to the introductory information of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's funding) and the more specific features of the museum's website. These hyperlinks facilitate the move from the cartoon-like style of the Understanding Evolution pages to the more sophisticated world of research science. There are also links to John Endler's experiments with guppies, which illustrate the importance 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 geographical context and offers a number of advantages over modern observational and experimental methods for analyzing evolutionary processes. In addition to exploring processes and events that take place regularly or over a lengthy period of time, paleobiology can be used to examine the diversity of groups of organisms and their distribution in space over the course of geological time.

The site is divided into various ways to learn about evolution which include "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a liner path through the nature of science and the evidence to support the theory of evolution. The path also reveals the most common misconceptions about evolution, as well as the history of evolutionary thought.

Each of the other main sections of the Evolution site is equally well constructed, with materials that support a variety of educational levels and pedagogical styles. The site offers a wide array of interactive and multimedia content that include videos, animations, and virtual labs in addition to general textual content. The content is laid out in a nested bread crumb style that facilitates navigation and orientation within the large Web site.

For instance the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides a comprehensive overview of coral relationships and their interaction with other organisms, then concentrates on a specific clam that is able to communicate with its neighbours and respond to changes in the water conditions that occur at the level of the reef. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary multimedia and interactive pages, gives a good introduction to a variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The material also provides a discussion of the role of natural selection as well as the concept of phylogenetic analysis, which is an important method to understand evolutionary change.

Evolutionary Theory

Evolution is an underlying thread that connects 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 outstanding example of a Web site that provides depth and a variety of educational resources. The site features a wealth of interactive learning modules. It also features an encased "bread crumb" structure that helps students move from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this massive website that are closer to the world of research science. For example an animation that introduces the concept of genetic inheritance links to a page that highlights John Endler's experiments in artificial selection using guppies in the ponds of his native country of Trinidad.

Another useful resource is the Evolution Library on this web site, which contains an extensive library of multimedia resources that are related to evolution. The content is organized according to curriculum-based paths that parallel the learning goals established in the biology standards. It includes seven short videos specifically designed for use in the classroom, and can be streamed at no cost or purchased on DVD.

A number of important questions remain at the heart of evolutionary biology, including the factors that trigger evolution and the speed at which it occurs. This is particularly relevant for the evolution of humans, where it was difficult to reconcile religious beliefs that humanity has a special position in the universe and a soul, with the idea that innate physical traits evolved from apes.

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

Many fields of inquiry conflict with literal interpretations of religious texts Evolutionary biology has been the subject of particularly intense controversy and resistance from religious fundamentalists. While some religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the ideas of evolution, other religions aren't.