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Science Latin = to know"
W Science is
a body of knowledge.
a way of knowing a process of inquiry and learning.
a 7athway to discover and understand world around us.
em7irical.
a human endeavor.
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Scientists
Are curious
Ask questions about how the world works
Seek answers
- Does the radiation released by cell phones
cause brain tumors?
- Are antibacterial hand soaps better than
regular soap?
- Do large doses of vitamin C reduce the
likelihood of getting a cold?
ow do you know that is true?"
The single question that
underlies scientific thinking
the importance of questioning the truth of many
scientific" claims you see on merchandise packages
or read in the newspaper or on the internet.
an we trust the 7ackaging
claims that com7anies make?
clinical drug trials and evidence
CEO says: people are really not scientifically
minded enough to be able to understand a
clinical study."
'he most important questions in biology:
What is the chemical and physical basis for
life and its maintenance?
How do organisms use genetic information
to build themselves and to reproduce?
'he most important questions in biology:
What are the diverse forms that life on
earth takes and how has that diversity
arisen?
How do organisms interact with each
other and with their environment?
Scientific Literacy
how to think scientifically
how to use the knowledge we gain to
make wise decisions
increasingly important in our lives
literacy in matters of biology is especially
essential
iological Literacy
'he ability to:
1. use the process of scientific inquiry to
think creatively about realworld
issues,
2. communicate those thoughts to others,
and
3. integrate them into your decision
making.
.3 The scientific method is
a 7owerful a77roach to
understanding the world.
f science proves some belief of
uddhism wrong, then uddhism
will have to change
-Dalai Lama, 200S
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nderstanding How the World Works
Someone wonders about why something
is the way it is and then decides to try to
find out the answer.
'his process of examination and discovery
is called the scientific method.
'he Scientific Nethod
Observe a phenomenon
Propose an explanation for it
'est the proposed explanation through a
series of experiments

Accurate S valid,
or
%evised or alternative explanations proposed
hat should you do when
something you believe in
turns out to be wrong?
'his may be the most important feature of
the scientific method:
it tells us when we should change our minds.
.S Ste7 Nake
observations.
Look for interesting
7atterns or causeand
effect relationshi7s.
Does taking echinacea reduce the intensity or
duration of the common cold?
.6 Ste7 2 Formulate a
hy7othesis.
A 7ro7osed ex7lanation for
observed 7henomena
'o be most useful, a hypothesis must
accomplish two things:
1. t must clearly establish mutually
exclusive alternative explanations for a
phenomenon.
2. t must generate testable predictions.
.7 Ste7 3 Devise a
testable 7rediction.
Suggest that under certain
conditions we will make
certain observations.
Devising a 'estable Prediction from a
Hypothesis
Keep in mind any one of several possible
explanations could be true.
Devising a 'estable Prediction from a
Hypothesis
The goal is to
Propose a situation that will give a particular
outcome if your hypothesis is true
but that will give a different outcome if your
hypothesis is not true.
y7othesis Echinacea reduces the duration and
severity of the symptoms of the common cold.
.8 Ste7 4 onduct a
critical ex7eriment.
an ex7eriment that makes it 7ossible
to decisively determine whether a
7articular hy7othesis is correct
.3 Ste7 S Draw
conclusions, make revisions.
Trial and error
Does echinacea help prevent the common cold?
y7othesis Echinacea reduces the duration and severity of the symptoms of the
common cold.
. hen do hy7otheses
become theories?
Two distinct levels of
understanding that scientists use
in describing our knowledge
about natural 7henomena
Hypotheses and 'heories
A hy7othesis is a proposed explanation
for a phenomenon.
- a good hypothesis leads to testable
predictions.
Hypotheses and 'heories
A theory is a hypothesis for natural
phenomena that is exceptionally well
supported by the data.
- a hypothesis that has withstood the test of
time and is unlikely to be altered by any new
evidence
Takehome message .
'heories are hypotheses that have been
so strongly supported by empirical
observation that the scientific community
views them as very unlikely to be altered
by new evidence.
Elements Common
to Nost Experiments
1. Treatment
W any experimental condition applied to individuals
2. x7erimental grou7
W a group of individuals who are exposed to a
particular treatment
3. ontrol grou7
W a group of individuals who are treated identically
to the experimental group with the one exception:
they are not exposed to the treatment
4. ariables
W characteristics of your experimental system that
are subject to change
Clever Hans
Experimental Designs
lind ex7erimental design
- 'he experimental subjects do not know which
treatment (if any) they are receiving.
Doubleblind ex7erimental design
- Neither the experimental subjects nor the
experimenter knows which treatment the
subject is receiving.
Naking Wise Decisions
About Concrete 'hings
Does having access to a textbook help a
student to perform better in a biology
class?
- Students who had access to a textbook
scored an average of 81% ' 8% on their
exams
- while those who did not scored an average
of 76% ' 7%.
. Pseudoscience individuals make
scientificsounding claims that are not
supported by trustworthy, methodical
scientific studies.
2. Anecdotal observations: based on only
one or a few observations, people
conclude that there is or is not a link
between two things.
Four out of five dentists surveyed
recommend sugarless gum for their patients
who chew gum."
How do they know what they know?"
Naybe the statement is factually true, but the
general relationshi7 it implies may not be.
Anecdotal Observations
do not include a
sufficiently large and
representative set of
observations of the
world
data are more
reliable than
anecdotes
Science is a way to call the bluff of those
who only pretend to knowledge. t is a
bulwark against mysticism, against
superstition, against religion misapplied to
where it has no business being. f we're
true to its values, it can tell us when we're
being lied to.
-Carl Sagan