Created by Lynn Collins (April, 2013) CHAPTER ONE The Science of Biology Created by Lynn Collins (April, 2013)

1-1 What is Science? SC.912.N.2.1 Key Questions What are the goals of science? What procedures are at the core of scientific methodology?

Controlled experiment VOCABULARY Science Observation Inference Controlled experiment Independent variable Dependent variable Control group Hypothesis Data

What Science Is and Is Not Science as a Way of Knowing Science is an organized way of gathering and analyzing evidence about the natural world. It is a process, not a “thing.” 1. Science deals only with the natural world. Lead a discussion: How do you “know” about something? (You learn about it or see it yourself) Where does knowledge come from? (From people who study particular topics) What does is mean to say that science is a process (The word process indicates that science is something that people do, rather than just a group of facts) Do you think the phrase “a way of knowing” accurately describes science as a method of learning? Why or why not? (Yes, the phrase identifies science as a method or tool to learn about the natural world.)

Whale Researchers Studying the natural world. How do whales communicate? How far do they travel? How are they affected by environmental changes? These are questions whale researchers can use science to answer.

Scientific endeavors never concern, in any way, supernatural phenomena of any kind.

Scientists collect and organize information in an orderly way, looking for patterns and connections among events.

3. Scientists propose explanations that 3. Scientists propose explanations that are based on evidence, not belief. Then they test those explanations with more evidence!

The Goals of Science From a scientific perspective all objects in the universe, and all interactions among those objects, are governed by universal natural laws…no matter whether the events are large or small.

KEY: One goal of science is to provide natural explanations for events in the natural world. Science aims to use those explanations to understand patterns in nature and to make useful predictions about natural events.

For example…Hurricane Sandy

Science helps us…cure diseases

Science helps us…place satellites in orbit

Science helps us…send instantaneous electronic communications

Despite all we know, much of science remains a mystery??????????????? Learning science means more than just understanding what we know. It also means understanding what we don’t know. Science rarely proves anything in absolute terms. It never stands still, almost every discovery leads to more questions…science continues to advance…

Build Vocabulary WORD ORIGINS: The word science derives from the Latin word scienitia, which means “knowledge.” Science represents knowledge that has been gathered over time.

Scientific Methodology: The Heart of Science What procedures are at the core of scientific methodology? You might think that the procedures are a mystery. Not so! You use scientific thinking all the time…

Suppose your family’s car won’t start. What do you do?

There isn’t a single cut-and-dried “scientific method” There is however, a general style of investigation that we call scientific methodology. Scientific methodology involves: observing and asking questions, making inferences and forming hypotheses, conducting controlled experiments, collecting and analyzing data, drawing conclusions.

Salt Marsh Experiment

Observing and Asking Questions Observation – the act of noticing and describing events or processes in a careful, orderly way.

Arthur Schopenhauer “A good scientist can think something that nobody has thought yet, while looking at something that every- body sees.” Arthur Schopenhauer (22 February 1788 – 21 September 1860) was a German philosopher known for his pessimism and philosophical clarity. At age 25, he published his doctoral dissertation, On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason, which examined the four separate manifestations of reason in the phenomenal world.

Inferring and Forming a Hypothesis An inference is a logical interpretation based on what scientists already know. Inference combined with a creative imagination, can lead to a hypothesis.

Hypothesis is a scientific explanation for a set of observations that can be tested in ways that support or reject it. DO NOT SAY THAT AN HYPOTHESIS IS AN EDUCATED GUESS!!!!!

Designing Controlled Experiments Testing a scientific hypothesis often involves designing an experiment that keeps tract of various factors that can change, or variables. (examples: temperature, light, time, availability of nutrients) Whenever possible a hypothesis should be tested by an experiment where only one variable is changed. All other variable should be kept unchanged or controlled. This type of experiment is called a controlled experiment.

Controlling variables Independent Variable (also called the Manipulated variable) –the variable that you, the experimenter, changes in order to do your experiment. (In our example, the nitrogen fertilizer was the independent variable)

Dependent Variable (also called the Responding variable) – the variable changes when the independent variable changes – it depends on the outcome of the independent variable. (In the example – growth of the marsh grass)

Control and Experimental Groups Typically an experiment is divided into control and experimental groups. A control group is exposed to the same conditions as the experimental group except for one independent variable. Scientists try to replicate their experiments, so they set up several sets of control and experimental groups.

Collecting and Analyzing Data Scientists make detailed records of experimental observations, gathering information called data. Quantitative data – numbers obtained by counting Qualitative data – characteristics that usually cannot be counted

Research Tools Scientists choose appropriate tools for collecting and analyzing data. Tools may be as simple as a meter stick or as complicated as machines that can measure the nitrogen content in plants and soil. Today, computers play a huge role in collecting, organizing, analyzing data.

Sources of Error Researchers must be careful to avoid errors in data collection and analysis. Accurate equipment, large sample sizes

Drawing Conclusions Scientists use experimental data as evidence to support, refute or revise the hypothesis being tested and to draw a valid conclusion.

When Experiments Are Not Possible Natural animal behavior may require field observations that disturb the animals as little as possible. Whey researchers analyze data from these observations, they may devise hypotheses that can be tested in different ways. Sometimes ethics prevents certain types of experiments – especially on human subjects.