Scientific Method Lesson One

What are some “types” of science? What is science? An intellectual and practical activity that studies the structure and behavior of the physical world through observation and experiment. A body of knowledge. What are some “types” of science? What is biology? What do you think is the most interesting science? How does science work?

The Scientific Method In reality, there isn’t a single method…but this is a general overview You could say there are as many scientific methods as there are types of science...why? Let’s apply this to a real world problem...

Apply the scientific method Let’s discuss Clostridium Difficile Healthy colon (top) Clostridium Difficile infection (bottom) Very uncomfortable disease that can be made worse with antibiotics Wouldn’t you want to find a treatment for this?

State the Problem What is a way we can state the problem described? Treating a Clostridium Difficile infection with antibiotics can worsen the disease and an alternative treatment is necessary. How can we make this statement better?

Read and Respond Read the handout that contains two articles on the fecal microbiota transplants (FMT) process Answer the questions from the handout in your notes

Background Research Why is doing background research so important? Discuss as a class. Research reveals that Some people’s infection cannot be cured with antibiotics, and can even be made worse This disease occurs when the c. difficile bacteria replaces the healthy bacteria that is normally in your intestines Replacing the healthy bacteria may help treat the infection Let’s use this to create a hypothesis

Form a Hypothesis With this information, what is a hypothesis we could come up with? A good hypothesis is: Simple and clear Written as a statement Establishes variables Predicts an outcome Is testable

If C. difficile causes symptoms when it replaces normal gut flora, then reintroducing healthy gut flora, through a poop transplant, will eliminate the C. difficile infection.

Test the Hypothesis Test your hypothesis by designing an experiment What type of experiment would effectively test this hypothesis? What would we need for materials? What would the process be?

Analyze the Data Patient Before Treatment # of Lesions in Colon After Treatment A 25 5 B 36 2 C 22 Control 1 19 21 Control 2 51 52 Control 3 30

Draw Conclusions Did the fecal matter transplants seem to work? Do you think a single experiment is enough? The importance of RETESTING How could we retest the hypothesis in a different way?

Now You Try! We will watch a video about a disease called Pellagra You will be prompted to think about each step in the scientific process as we watch the video Write down your ideas in your notes as we watch the video Video (start at 15:50 – 28:46) Alternate Link: https://youtu.be/aE9pu6YmNoI Can also search for Dark Matters Twisted But True S02E04

How many times did the doctor in the video test his hypothesis? Which test was the most memorable? Why? What challenges did the doctor run into? Where the challenges primarily scientific problems? What types of similar problems might scientists face today?