15 Best Documentaries On Evolution Site

Evolution Site – Teaching About Evolution

Despite the best efforts by biology educators, misconceptions persist regarding evolution. Pop science fiction has led a lot of people to think that biologists don’t believe in evolution.

This rich Web site – companion to the PBS series offers teachers with resources that promote evolution education and avoid the kinds of misconceptions that undermine it. It’s laid out in a „bread crumb“ format to facilitate navigation and orientation.

Definitions

It is difficult to effectively teach evolution. People who are not scientists often have a difficult time understanding the subject and some scientists employ a definition that confuses it. This is particularly applicable to discussions about the definition of the word itself.

It is crucial to define the terms used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution’s website does this in a simple and efficient manner. The site is a companion to the show that premiered in 2001, but it also functions as an independent resource. The material is presented in a way 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 scientific concepts. The site provides an overview of the ways in which evolution has been examined. This information can be used to dispel misconceptions that have been engendered by the creationists.

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

The process of adaptation is the tendency of heritable traits to become better suited to an environment. This is the result of natural selection. Organisms that have better-adapted characteristics are more likely than those with less-adapted characteristics to survive and reproduce.

Common ancestor: The latest common ancestor of two or more species. The common ancestor can be identified by analyzing the DNA of the species.

Deoxyribonucleic acid: A massive biological molecule that contains the information needed for cell replication. The information is stored in nucleotide sequences that are strung into long chains, referred to as chromosomes. Mutations are the reason behind the creation of new genetic information within cells.

Coevolution: A relationship between two species where evolutionary changes in one species are affected by changes in evolutionary processes in the other. Coevolution is evident in the interaction of predator and prey, or parasite and hosts.

Origins

Species (groups that can crossbreed) develop through a series of natural changes in the traits of their offspring. These changes are caused by a variety of factors, including natural selection, genetic drift and gene pool mixing. The evolution of a new species may take thousands of years and the process can be slowed down or accelerated by environmental conditions such as climate change or the competition for food or habitat.

The Evolution site tracks the evolution 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 focuses on human evolution and is a subject of particular importance to students.

Darwin’s Origin was written in 1859, when only a few antediluvian fossils of human beings had been discovered. The most famous among them was the skullcap and the associated bones discovered in 1856 at the Little Feldhofer Grotto in Germany, which is now known as an early Homo neanderthalensis. Although the skullcap was not published until 1858, just one year before the first edition of the Origin appeared, it is extremely unlikely that Darwin had ever heard of it.

While the site is focused on biology, it contains a wealth of information about geology as well as paleontology. The website has several features that are especially impressive, such as the timeline of how climate and geological conditions have changed over time. It also has an interactive map that shows the location of fossil groups.

The site is a companion for a PBS TV series but it could also be used as an educational source for teachers and students. The site is well-organized and offers clear links between the introduction material in Understanding Evolution (developed with support from the National Science Foundation) and the more sophisticated components of the museum’s Web site. These links make it easier to move from the cartoon-style Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated worlds of research science. There are also links to John Endler’s experiments with guppies. They demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.

Diversity

The evolution of life on Earth has resulted in a variety of animals, plants, and insects. Paleobiology, the study of these creatures within their geological context is a superior method of study over modern observational or research methods of studying evolutionary processes. Paleobiology can examine not only processes and events that take place frequently or over time, www.evolutionkr.Kr but also the relative abundance and distribution of different species of animals in space throughout the geological time.

The site is divided into several optional pathways to understanding evolution which include „Evolution 101,“ which takes the viewer on a liner path through the scientific process and the evidence to support the theory of evolution. The path also reveals common misconceptions about evolution and the history of evolutionary thought.

Each of the other sections of the Evolution site is equally well constructed, with materials that can support a variety of different pedagogical levels and curriculum levels. The site offers a wide array of interactive and multimedia content which include videos, animations, and virtual labs in addition to general textual content. The breadcrumb-like organization of the content helps with navigation and orientation on the massive web site.

The page „Coral Reef Connections“ For instance, it provides an overview of the coral’s relationships and interactions with other organisms and zooms in to 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, along with the other multidisciplinary, multimedia, and interactive pages on the website, provide an excellent introduction to a wide variety of topics in evolutionary biology. The content includes a discussion on the significance of natural selectivity and the concept of phylogenetics analysis, an important tool for understanding evolutionary changes.

Evolutionary Theory

For biology students, evolution is a key thread that connects all the branches of the field. A wide range of resources supports teaching about evolution across all life sciences.

One resource, which is the companion to PBS’s television show Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of a Web page that offers both depth as well as wide range of 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 massive website that are closer to the world of research science. Animation that introduces the concept of genetics links to a page highlighting John Endler’s artificial-selection experiments with Guppies in native ponds in Trinidad.

The Evolution Library on this website contains a large multimedia library of assets related to evolution. The content is organized into curricula-based pathways that correspond to the learning objectives set out in biology standards. It includes seven short videos designed specifically for classroom use, which can be streamed at no cost or purchased on DVD.

Evolutionary biology is a field of study that has many important questions, such as the causes of evolution and how fast it occurs. This is especially true for humans‘ evolution which was a challenge to reconcile religious beliefs that humanity has a unique 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 evolution could occur including natural selection, which is the most popular theory. Scientists also study different types like mutation, genetic drift, and sexual selection.

While many scientific fields of inquiry have a conflict with the literal interpretations of religious texts Evolutionary biology has been the subject of intense controversy and resistance from religious fundamentalists. Some religions have reconciled their beliefs to evolution while others haven’t.