Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution
Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misconceptions about evolution persist. Pop science nonsense has led people to believe that biologists don't believe evolution.
This rich website - companion to the PBS series It provides teachers with materials which support evolution education and avoids the kinds of misinformation that can make it difficult to understand. It's arranged in a nested "bread crumb" format for ease of navigation and orientation.
Definitions
It's difficult to properly teach evolution. Many non-scientists are unable to grasp the concept and some scientists employ a definition that confuses it. This is particularly relevant when discussing the meaning of the words themselves.
Therefore, it is essential to define terms that are used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a clear and useful manner. The website is a companion to the show which first aired in 2001, but it also functions as an independent resource. The material is presented in a nested manner that aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms like common ancestor, the gradual process, and adaptation. These terms help to frame the nature of evolution and its relationship to other concepts in science. The site gives a comprehensive overview of the way in which evolution has been tested. This information can be used to dispel misconceptions that have been propagated by the creationists.
It is also possible to access the glossary of terms used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:
Adaptation: The tendency of hereditary traits to become more suitable to a particular setting. This is the result of natural selection. It occurs when organisms that are better-adapted characteristics 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 more species. The common ancestor can be identified by analyzing the DNA of these species.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A massive biological molecule that contains the information required for cell replication. The information is stored in sequences of nucleotides that are strung together into long chains, referred to 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 of individuals that are able to interbreed) change through an array of natural changes in the characteristics of their offspring. The causes of these changes are various factors, including natural selection, gene drift, and mixing of the gene pool. The evolution of a new species can take thousands of years, and the process can be slowed down or speeded up by environmental conditions such as climate change or competition for food or habitat.
The Evolution site traces the emergence of a number of different species of plants and animals over time and focuses on the most significant shifts that occurred throughout the history of each group. It also examines the human evolutionary roots, a topic that is particularly important for students to comprehend.
When Darwin wrote the Origin, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been discovered. Among them was the famous skullcap and the associated bones discovered in 1856 at the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany which is now believed as an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is highly unlikely that Darwin knew about the skullcap when it was published in 1858, a year following the initial edition of The Origin.
While the site is focused on biology, it also offers 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 how geological and climatic conditions have changed over time as well as an outline of the distribution of a few fossil groups listed on the site.
While the site is a companion piece to the PBS television series but it also stands on its own as an excellent resource for teachers and students. The site is 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 make it easier to move from the cartoon-style Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated realms of research science. Particularly, there are links to John Endler's research with Guppies that 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, the study of these creatures within their geological context, has many advantages over modern observational or experimental methods for studying evolutionary phenomena. In addition to exploring processes and events that take place frequently or over a long period of time, paleobiology can be used to analyze the diversity of species of organisms and their distribution throughout geological time.
The website is divided into several optional pathways to understanding evolution, including "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a liner path through the nature of science and the evidence that supports the theory of evolution. The path also explores common misconceptions about evolution as well as the evolution theory's history.
Each of the main sections of the Evolution website is equally well-developed, and includes materials that can be used to support a variety of curriculum levels and teaching styles. In click through the up coming website to the standard textual content, the site offers an array of multimedia and interactive resources including videos, animations and virtual labs. The content is laid out in a nested bread crumb-like fashion that helps with navigation and orientation on the Web site.
For example, the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides a comprehensive overview of coral relationships and their interaction with other organisms. It then zooms in on a single clam that is able to communicate with its neighbours and respond to changes in water conditions at the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary multimedia and interactive pages, offers a great introduction to a variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The material includes an explanation of the significance of natural selectivity and the concept of phylogenetics, an important method for understanding the evolution of changes.
Evolutionary Theory
For biology students the concept of evolution is a major thread that weaves together all the branches of the field. A rich collection of resources supports teaching about evolution across all life sciences.
One resource, a companion to the PBS television series Understanding Evolution, is an excellent example of a Web site that provides depth and breadth in its educational resources. The site features a wide range 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 large Web site more closely tied to the field of research science. Animation that introduces the concept of genetics is linked to a page about John Endler's experiments in artificial selection using guppies on native ponds in Trinidad.
Another helpful resource is the Evolution Library on this Web site, which contains an extensive multimedia library of assets related to evolution. The content is organized according to curriculum-based paths that parallel the learning objectives outlined in the biology standards. It contains seven videos specifically designed for use in classrooms, and can be streamed for free or purchased on DVD.
Many important questions remain at the core of evolutionary biology, such as what triggers evolution and how fast it happens. This is especially true for humans' evolution where it was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that humanity has a special place in the creation and a soul with the notion that our physical traits originated from apes.
There are also a number of other ways in which evolution could occur and natural selection being the most widely accepted theory. However, scientists also study other kinds of evolution like mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection, among others.
While many scientific fields of study are in conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts, the concept of evolution biology has been the subject of intense debate and opposition from religious fundamentalists. While some religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the theories of evolution, others haven't.