1. Lesson 1.2: Science in Society

2. The Language of Science:
Science is a universal language
Most root words, prefixes, and suffixes are derived from Latin
Bio- = life
Auto- = self
Genesis = origin
Synthesis = to make
-logy = study of
-phobia = fear of

3. Ecology:
Ecology is the study of how life interacts with its environment.
‘Big ideas’ in ecology:
Environmental Ethics
Ecosystems
Environmental Policies
Communities
Conservation Efforts
Populations
Earth’s Resources

4. Science in Society:
Science and society influence each other

5. Science will not address issues such as:
Ethics, which are a person’s moral values/beliefs, are major issues in science and society
Science explains why natural phenomenon occur and how technology can be applied
Science will not address issues such as:
Whether or not technology should be used
Why life exists
Meaning of life

6. Bias = Prejudice/ Favors one side/ Unfair
Some scientists will perform biased experiments by setting it up so that the outcome is what they expected
Double blind studies are the best way to prevent bias by using 1 test group and 1 control group to compare results
“I’m part of a double blind study to see how weight loss supplements help people lose weight. I’m guessing I received the sugar pill placebos.”

7. Scientific Theories:
Scientific Theories are well-tested explanations for
a wide range of phenomena in the natural world
Theories are complex, encompass a large number of ideas, and explains how something happens
Does not mean absolute truth
They are constantly revised as
new scientific information is
discovered

8. Scientific Laws: Scientific Laws are a description of natural
phenomena that occur in the world, and cannot be
changed
Laws are final, encompass only one idea, and describe
why something happens
Laws have NO exceptions!

9. Scientific Resources:
Good Science References are peer/scholarly reviewed!
Examples include:
Scholarly/Scientific Journals
Educational Textbooks
Scientific Magazines
Credible websites
.gov/ .edu (reliable)
.org/ .com (subjective)

10. Scientific Resources:
Bad Science References:
Wikipedia as the ONLY source
Opinionated sources:
Blogs
Newspapers
Pop Culture Magazines
Scientists are skeptical of experiments published without being reviewed by other qualified scientists first