1. Introduction to Nature of Science
Science 421B

2. Warm-up What is science? Who uses it? How do you perform science?
Why is it useful?

3. Scientific checklist Focuses on the natural world
Aims to explain the natural world
Uses testable ideas
Relies on evidence
Involves the scientific community
Leads to ongoing research
Benefits from scientific behavior
*There are actually many levels or “degrees” of how scientific something is!

4. The basics of scientific language
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5. 1. Science studies the natural world
Anything in the natural world can be studied using science.
Atoms
Plants
Ecosystems
People
Societies
Education
Materials
The knowledge gained from scientific study is also considered part of science.

6. 2. Attempts to explain the natural world
Natural explanations are the focus of science.
- There should be reasons for the phenomena we observe and experience. Through science, we are capable of determining what these reasons are.
Explanations can change as we learn more and develop more advanced forms of technology, it becomes possible to view the world in new ways.
-This is actually a strength of science, not a weakness.

7. 3. Uses testable ideas
Science requires ideas to be testable. This means there is a set of expectations if an idea is true and a different set of observations if an idea is false.
Example:
Do you think a birds song is genetically encoded or do you think they learn it from hearing other birds of the same species as they develop?
What would you expect to observe if their song is genetically encoded?
What would you expect to observe if their song is learned from others?

8. 4. Science relies on evidence
Scientific ideas need to be “tested”. The results of such testing are the evidence required for an idea to be scientific.
Results are considered to be stronger evidence if many people have similar outcomes when testing the idea.
The results of experimental testing are what determine if an idea is accepted or rejected.
If an idea is not supported by sufficient evidence it must be scientifically rejected.

9. 5. Involves the scientific community
Science depends on members of the scientific community and scientific organizations who generate scientific ideas.
This community tests ideas, publishes scientific journals, trains scientists, and funds scientific research projects.
The community as a whole is responsible for ensuring the scientific process has been followed.

10. 6. Leads to ongoing research
Science is a continuous process. Even accepted ideas are still subject to being revisited if/when new evidence is found.
Usually answers to a questions in science lead to more questions being asked. This is why research science seems to continue endlessly.
Each time there is an advance in technology all previous ideas are subject to re-examination.

11. 7. Benefits of scientific behavior
Everyone can participate in moving science forward. Here are some important scientific behaviors
Pay attention to work done by others
Expose your ideas to testing
Assimilate evidence
Openly communicate ideas and tests to others
Act with scientific integrity

12. How scientific is it? How scientific is… Our understanding of gravity?
Our understanding of the supernatural? (ghosts etc.)

13. Limits of Science Science does not… Make moral judgments.
Make aesthetic judgments.
Tell you how to use/apply scientific knowledge.
Draw conclusions about supernatural explanations.
Note: Ethics are considered to be a very important aspect of scientific study.

14. So, how does science really work?

15. Modern science is more complicated
Science is typically thought of as a sequence of steps which arrive at an answer to a question.
In reality, science is more like a number of different ideas and perspectives which circle back on one another.
This is why it is actually common to hear about “changes in science”.
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16. Science does not follow a specific order
Many people think of science as being conducted from start to finish by the same individual(s). In fact, this is rarely the case.
Science is conducted in many different areas around the world on a daily basis by different scientists with different interests and ideas.
This results in different ideas and approaches to solve the problems associated with scientific research. (Creativity!!)
*People who think science is not creative do not understand how science actually works!

17. We often think like this…