New Core Curriculum Foundations of Scientific Process Theories and Scientific Laws Science vs. Pseudoscience week 2, class-1

Science is concerned with investigating and making sense out of the environment and trying to predict future observations. What ? Where ? How ? Why ? Movie “Contact”

Theory & Scientific Law Theory is defined as a broad, working hypothesis that is based on extensive experimental evidence ex. Plate Tectonics Theory When theory is around for a long time it is sometimes promoted to a “Law of Nature” of Scientific Law Scientific Law describes what is happening in nature (how it is, not how it aught to be)

Science vs. Non-science vs. Pseudoscience

Pseudoscience: deceptive practice that uses the appearance or language of science to convince, confuse or mislead people into thinking that something has scientific validity when it does not Examples ?

Questions to Ask ? Scientists are healthy skeptics

Phrenology Franz Gall ( ) Famous Anatomist Gall: So observed these facile memorizers and “I noticed that they all had large and protruding eyes.” Study of personality characteristics by measuring bumps on the head

The Theory of Phrenology: Assumptions 1. Physiology 2. Behavior Brain has different, distinct areas. Basic innate traits a.Different areas responsible for different traits. b. The larger the brain area, the more prominent the trait. 3. Connection

You need measurements to test a theory Bumps on skull (couldn’t measure brain)

The Theory of Phrenology

The Theory of Phrenology: Pseudo-science popular in 19th century. Advertisement for a Phrenology Lecture Karl Marx Gregor Mendel Charles Darwin

Senator Henry Clay ( ) Reference appears in the Congressional Record in President Andrew Jackson ( ) President Clay suggested that the President’s head should be examined by phrenologists and that they would “find the organ of destructiveness prominently developed.” ?

Wrong & too simplistic measures of brains activity The Theory of Phrenology: Why it failed ?

Scientists are healthy skeptics

Arsenic-based bacteria: Fact or fiction? Steven Benner, a chemist at the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution in Gainesville, Florida told New Scientist: “In order to measure the apparently modified DNA, it has to be put into a water-containing gel, which would rapidly dissolve any arsenic- containing chunks of DNA, but not those containing phosphorus. Since they found large chunks of DNA, it must contain phosphorus, not arsenic...”