Despite the best efforts of biology educators, misinformation about evolution remain. People who have been exposed to the nonsense of pop science often believe that biologists are saying they do not believe in evolution.
This rich Web site, which is a companion to the PBS program, provides teachers with materials which support evolution education, while avoiding the kinds of misconceptions that can make it difficult to understand. It's organized in a nested "bread crumb" format for ease of navigation and orientation.
Definitions
Evolution is a complicated and difficult subject to teach well. Non-scientists often misunderstand the subject and some scientists employ a definition that confuses it. This is particularly true when discussing the definition of the words.
Therefore, it is essential to define terms used in evolutionary biology. The website for the PBS show, Understanding Evolution, does this in a simple and efficient manner. The site is both an accompaniment to the 2001 series, and it is also a resource on its own. The content is presented in a nested manner which aids navigation and orientation.
The site defines terms like common ancestor and the gradual process. These terms help to define the nature of evolution as well as 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 be used to dispel myths that have been propagated by creationists.
You can also access a glossary which contains 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 a result of natural selection, which occurs when organisms with better-adapted traits are more likely survive and reproduce than those with less adapted characteristics.
Common ancestor (also known as common ancestor): The most recent ancestor shared by two or more species. By analyzing DNA from these species, it is possible to determine the common ancestor.
Deoxyribonucleic acid: A huge biological molecule that holds the information required for cell replication. The information is stored in sequences of nucleotides that are strung together to form long chains, called 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. Coevolution is evident through the interaction between predator and prey, or parasite and hosts.
Origins
Species (groups of individuals who can interbreed) change through natural changes in the characteristics 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 circumstances, such as climate change or competition for food and habitat can slow or speed up the process.
The Evolution site traces the emergence of a number of different animal and plant groups through time with a focus on the key changes that took place in each group's history. It also explores the evolutionary history of humans, a topic that is crucial for students to know.
When Darwin wrote the Origin of Species, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been discovered. The famous skullcap, with the associated bones, was discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now known as an early Homo neanderthalensis. It is highly unlikely that Darwin was aware of the skullcap, which was first published in 1858, one year after the publication of the first edition of The Origin. Origin.
While the site is focused on biology, it also includes a good deal of information on geology and paleontology. One of the most appealing features of the website are a timeline of events that 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.
The site is a companion to a PBS TV series but it could also be used as an educational resource for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and offers clear links between the introductory information 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 easier to transition from the cartoon-style Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated realms of research science. Particularly there are links to John Endler's experiments with Guppies, which demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.
Diversity
The evolution of life on Earth has produced a diversity of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology is the study of these creatures in their geographical context and offers numerous advantages over the current observational and experimental methods in its exploration of evolutionary processes. In addition to studying processes and events that take place frequently or over a long period of time, paleobiology can be used to examine the relative abundance of various kinds of organisms as well as their distribution throughout the course of geological time.
The website is divided into several optional ways to learn about evolution that include "Evolution 101," which takes the viewer on a line through the scientific process and the evidence supporting the theory of evolution. The path also examines myths about evolution, and also the history of evolutionary thought.
Each of the other major sections of the Evolution site is equally developed, with materials that can be used to support a range of different pedagogical levels and curriculum levels. In addition to the standard textual content, the site features a wide range of multimedia and interactive resources including video clips, animations, and virtual labs. The content is presented in a nested bread crumb fashion that aids navigation and orientation within the large Web site.
The page "Coral Reef Connections", for example, provides an overview of the relationships between corals and interactions with other organisms and then zooms in on a single clam, which is able communicate with its neighbors and react to changes in the conditions of the water that occur at the reef level. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary multimedia and interactive pages, provides an excellent introduction to a variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The material also provides an overview of the importance of natural selection as well as the concept of phylogenetic analysis which is an important tool in understanding evolutionary changes.
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution is a common thread that is found throughout all branches of biology. A wide range of resources supports teaching about evolution across all life sciences.
One resource, which is the companion to PBS's television series Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of a Web site that provides the depth and the breadth in terms of its educational resources. The site has a variety of interactive learning modules. It also features a nested "bread crumb" structure that allows students to transition from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution to elements on this huge site that are more closely tied to the field of research science. For Evolutionkr.Kr instance, an animation introducing the concept of genetic inheritance links to a page that highlights John Endler's experiments with artificial selection with guppies from the native ponds of Trinidad.The Evolution Library on this website has a huge multimedia library of assets related to evolution. The content is organized into curricula-based paths that correspond to the learning objectives set out in the standards for biology. It contains seven short videos specifically designed for classroom use. They can be streamed or purchased as DVDs.
Many important questions remain at the core of evolutionary biology, such as what causes evolution to occur and the speed at which it occurs. This is particularly true for human evolution, where it has been difficult to reconcile the idea that the physical characteristics of humans were derived from apes with religious beliefs that claim that humans are unique among living things and holds a a special place in creation, with soul.There are a variety of other ways evolution can take place including natural selection, which is the most popular theory. However, scientists also study other kinds of evolution like mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection, among others.
While many fields of scientific study conflict with literal interpretations found in religious texts, the concept of evolution biology has been a source of intense debate and resistance from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the notions of evolution, other religions haven't.
