SCIENCE Intuition leads to the flat Earth society and bloodletting; experiments lead men to the moon and microsurgery. - Seth Mnookin

SCIENCE AS A WAY OF KNOWING Science assumes that the world is knowable. Science seeks to… Search for testable evidence. Form hypotheses and theories. Hypothesis: Prediction based on prior knowledge and observation. Theory: Broad explanation based on many experiments and high amounts of data. Find additional evidence to strengthen or disprove current theories.

SCIENCE AS A WAY OF KNOWING Scientists never work alone; they always collaborate as part of the process. They check each other for errors. Divide up a problem and work on it in groups.

Scientific Design Reproducibility Controlled Studies Experiments must be designed and recorded such that they can be exactly reproduced by other researchers. Controlled Studies Comparisons are made between experimental and control populations.

Scientific Fraud There are many examples of published studies or report that have been later found incorrect, misleading, or fraudulent. These are always detected, eventually due to the scientific method and peer review. The net effect is loss of time, resources, and public mistrust. Significant recent examples: MMR Vaccine / Autism study Speed of Himalayan glacier melting Human stem cell cloning study

Scientific Method

Scientific Method Observation Information gathered by sight, sound, smell, or touch. Example: Mussels are disappearing from a nearby river, which is being polluted.

Scientific Method Hypothesis Prediction A testable explanation for an observation. A hypothesis can be proven wrong, but never proven true. Ex: Fertilizer from a nearby golf course is washing into the river and killing the mussels. Prediction What will happen if the hypothesis is correct? Ex: Mussels will die when exposed to the fertilizer.

Scientific Method Experiment Test hypothesis under controlled conditions. Variables: Things that change during an experiment Independent variable: the one thing that you purposely change in an experiment Ex: Presence of fertilizer Dependent variable: the thing that will be change in response to the independent variable. Ex: Number of mussels Experimental Group: Receives the variable Ex: Mussels exposed to fertilizer Control Group: Does not receive the variable. Used for comparison Ex: Mussels in clean water

Scientific Method Observations Qualitative observations: observations that you can make using your five senses. Ex) the plant is green, my shirt is red Quantitative observations: observations that deal with measurements such as length volume or mass Ex) 20 mussels were in the river Analyze and conclude: the data and observations must be analyzed. Look for common trends and patterns. Conclude by accepting or rejecting your hypothesis.

Law vs. Theory Theory: a thoroughly tested model that explains why experiments give certain results Law: a concise statement that summarizes the results of a broad variety of observations Law of gravity would say that objects fall to earth while the theory of gravity would explain why.