Fossil Fragments and the Scientific Method

MathematicsScienceReligionArt Goal What counts as evidence? Appropriate Questions Science as A Way of Knowing

MathematicsScienceReligionArt Goal Understand reality through the investigation of natural phenomena What counts as evidence? Appropriate Questions Science as A Way of Knowing

What method(s) do scientists use to obtain this goal(s)?

Scientific Method “The scientific method is the best way yet discovered for winnowing the truth from lies and delusion.”

Scientific Method “The scientific method is the best way yet discovered for winnowing the truth from lies and delusion.” The scientific method is a way to ask and answer scientific questions by doing experiments. The steps of the scientific method are…?

Scientific Method The steps of the scientific method: 1. Ask a Question 2. Do Background Research 3. Construct a Hypothesis 4. Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment 5. Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion 6. Communicate Your Results

Fossil Fragments (~20 min) 1. Make careful observations of fossil fragment 2. Sketch your fossil fragments Use only 1 color & sketch near middle of the page May make sketch larger than fossil to show more detail Save room for more sketching around fossil Include scale (1x=life size, 2x=twice life size) 3. Infer the rest of the organism and its habitat Use different color to sketch your inferences Have reasons to justify your inference.

Groups Share Observations/Inferences

Fossil Fragments: Final Questions How is this activity similar to what paleontologists do? How is it different from what paleontologists do? Would paleontologists reach the same conclusions about the identity of the organisms and their environments as the class did?

What Paleobiologists Do…

Hazards of Inferences

Unicorn constructed from fossil fragment Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Carl Sagan

Fossil Fragments: Final Questions Is this science?

Fossil Fragments: Final Questions Did we follow the scientific method? See next slide for a reminder of the steps…

Scientific Method The steps of the scientific method: 1. Ask a Question 2. Do Background Research 3. Construct a Hypothesis 4. Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment Experiment: A test under controlled conditions, changing only one variable at a time and keeping the other relevant variables constant 5. Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion 6. Communicate Your Results

Fossil Fragments: Final Questions What did you notice about the steps we used in this activity?

Fossil Fragments: Final Questions Do scientists always follow the scientific method?

Fossil Fragments: Final Questions Is it correct to refer to THE scientific method? Why or why not?

3-Aspects of Science Scientific Knowledge Nature of Science Processes

End-of-Class Discussion What are some characteristics of science (or nature of science tenets)?

End-of-Class Discussion What are some characteristics of science (or nature of science tenets)? Scientific knowledge:  is based on evidence  can change with the addition of more data  is made up of both observation & inference Science is done through MANY methods All aspects of science are creative Science is impacted by prior knowledge, experiences

End-of-Class Discussion What are some characteristics of science (or nature of science tenets)? Scientists sometimes cannot directly observe what they want to know There is no single scientific method that all scientists follow

Anomalocaris from the Burgess Shale

Anomalocaris

In 1892, Joseph Whiteaves found one of the feeding appendages and classified it as the tail of a lobster or shrimp. Charles Walcott found the mouthpart in the Burgess Shale and classified it as a jellyfish. Body was discovered separately and classified as a sponge by Simon Morris. The mouthpart was found with the body, but was classified as an unrelated jellyfish that happened to be preserved at the same time.

Harry Whittington uncovered more stone and found that the feeding appendages were connected to the mouth parts. It took several more years before the juxtaposition of mounth, feeding arms, and body were realized to be a single organism in 1985.