NATURE OF SCIENCE

Christine Mae B. Tecson, LPT

01 What is Science?
 What is Science?
or
1. Science is concerned with understanding how nature and the physical
world work.
2. Science can prove anything, solve any problem, or answer any question.
3. Any study done carefully and based on observation is scientific.
4. Science can be done poorly.
5. Anything done scientifically can be relied upon to be accurate and
reliable.
6. Different scientists may get different solutions to the same problem.
7. Knowledge of what science is, what it can and cannot do, and how it
works, is important for all people.
1. Science is concerned with understanding how nature and the
physical world work.

Science is a process by which we try to understand

how the natural and physical world works and how
it came to be that way.
 The Natural World is
Understandable

1. The natural world is understandable

through the careful collection and critical
analysis of empirical evidence.
2. Every discipline in modern science has
derived its principles and paradigms
through this process.
 The Natural World is
Understandable
1. The natural world is understandable
through the careful collection and critical
analysis of empirical evidence.
2. Every discipline in modern science has
derived its principles and paradigms
through this process.
 The Natural World is
Understandable
“Truth filters” to guide in making decisions in personal and professional
lives:

1. Consensus filter - Deciding which movie to see or book to purchase, a

person might reviews from other people, a general agreement esp. on
opinions.
2. Authority filter - we tend to place more weight on the viewpoints of
people and institutions which represent authority. National newscasters,
successful entrepreneurs, political leaders, respected print and news
media, and movie stars are just a few of the authorities people currently
look to for truth.
3. Durability with time - Truth can also be inherited. If a fact, story, or
opinion has been around for a long time then it is more likely to be
believed because it has withstood the rigors of time.
 The Natural World is
Understandable
Science is a unique truth filter (Toffler, 2006).

- It is predicated upon the premise that the natural world is understandable

and that the universe is “knowable” and is governed by natural factors that
can be discerned through observation or experimentation.

- The major difference between science and other "truth filters" is that
rather than relying on external sources for validation such as group
consensus, authority, or durability over time, science relies on internal
processes of validation through data collection, objective analysis, and
evaluation.
 Science Demands Evidence
Spontaneous
Generation:

• Before microscopes
were invented people
generally believed
that life sprang from
inanimate matter -
that life could
spontaneously be
generated from
inanimate matter.
 Science Demands Evidence
The myth of the scientific method
1. Scientists apply various methods in doing research.

2. There is no universally accepted scientific method

agreed upon by the scientific community.

3. Science does demand that evidence be empirically

collected and analyzed.
The Scientific process
How people think it works…
 How science works
EXPLORATION
AND DISCOVERY

Making Asking
New technology observations questions Personal motivation
Practical problem Serendipity
Curiosity Surprising observ ation
Sharing data
and ideas

Finding Exploring the

inspiration literature

Gathering data

Expected Actual
Hypotheses
results/observations results/observations

Interpreting data
Supportive, contradictory, surprising
or inconclusive data may ...

... inspire
... support a revised
hypothesis. assumptions. Feedback and
Develop Address Replication
technology societal issues peer review

... inspire
... oppose a revised/new
hypothesis. hypothesis.
Discussion with
Build Inform Publication
colleagues
knowledge policy

TESTING Explore more here:

Coming up
IDEAS
Satisfy Solve everyday Theory
curiosity problems with new
building
questions/ideas

https://undsci.berkeley.edu
BENEFITS AND COMMUNITY
OUTCOMES ANALYSIS AND /article/scienceflowchart
FEEDBACK
 Scientific Knowledge is Durable

1. Scientific ideas are continually tested.

2. Ideas that are able to withstand the

scrutiny of the scientific community form
the foundations of our current
understandings of the natural world and
how it functions.
 Scientific Knowledge is Durable
Theories and laws.
Theories and laws are two different types of knowledge used by
scientists to describe natural phenomena. They are equal in terms of
scientific validity:

1. Theories are generally used to explain complex natural processes

not easily quantifiable. It is a well-supported explanation of
observations.
2. Laws often use mathematical formulas to show relationships and
make predictions about the natural world. A scientific law is a
statement that summarizes the relationship between variables.

As a comparison, theories explain why we observe what we do and

laws describe what happens.
 Scientific Knowledge is Durable
Example:

Scientific law predicts the results of certain initial conditions.

Ex. Predict your unborn child’s hair color or how far a baseball travels when launched at a
certain angle

Scientific theory tries to provide the most logical explanation about why things happens
as they do.

Ex. A theory that could explain your unborn child’s hair color due to dominant and
recessive genes, to explain how brown-haired parents ended up with red-headed child.
Gravity to shed light on the parabolic trajectory of a baseball.

As a comparison, theories explain why we observe what we

do and laws describe what happens.
 Scientific knowledge is subject to
change
• Most scientific knowledge is quite durable,
but is, in principle, subject to change based
on new evidence and/or reinterpretation of
existing evidence.
• Scientists assume that even if there is no
way to secure complete and absolute truth,
increasingly accurate approximations can
be made to account for the world and how it
works.
 Scientific knowledge is subject to
change
• In 1912 Alfred Wegener noticed that the
world’s continents seemed to fit together
like a giant jigsaw puzzle and proposed
that the continents were once
compressed into a single protocontinent
which he called Pangaea. According to
Wegener, the continents had drifted
apart over time into their current
locations.
• However, a major drawback to his theory
was that it offered no plausible
mechanism to explain how or why the
continents moved in the first place.
Wegener suggested the movement could
be caused by centrifugal force as the
Earth spun on its axis or was caused by
the pull of the Sun and the moon.
• All of these ideas were rejected and his
hypothesis fell out of favor with the
scientific community.
 Scientific knowledge is subject to
change
In 1929, Arthur Holmes proposed
that continental drift was caused by
thermal convection currents in the
Earth’s mantle. He explained that
these convection currents acted as
giant conveyor belt moving
continents from one place on the
Earth to another.

Holmes’ idea was largely ignored

until the 1960’s when marine
geologists reported the existence of
deep sea trenches and mid-ocean
ridges on the ocean floor – all
perfectly explained by Wegener and
Holmes’ ideas. Arthur Holmes
 2. Science can prove anything, solve any
problem or answer any question.

• Science actually attempts to disprove ideas (hypotheses).

• Science is limited strictly to solving problems about the
physical and natural world.
• Explanations based on supernatural forces, values or ethics
can never be disproved and thus do not fall under the realm
of science.
 Some questions that science can &
cannot answer
Questions that can be answered Questions that cannot be answered
using science using science

What is the optimum temperature How tall is Santa Claus?

for the growth of E.coli bacteria?
Do birds prefer bird feeders of a Do angels exist?
specific color?
What is the cause of this disease? Which is better: classical music or
rock and roll?
How effective is this drug in What are the ethical implications of
treating this disease? human cloning?
 3. Any study done carefully and based on
observation is scientific.

• Science must follow certain rules.

• The rules of science make the scientific process as objective
as is possible.
Objective = Not influenced by feelings, interests and prejudices; UNBIASED

vs.
Subjective = Influenced by feelings, interests and prejudices; BIASED
 4. Science can be done poorly.

5. Anything done scientifically can be relied upon to be accurate

and reliable.

• Science can be done poorly, just like any other human

endeavor.

• Quality control mechanisms in science increase the reliability

of its product.
 Scientists Try to Identify
and Avoid Bias
• Since scientists within the same field tend to share
common methodologies and views, their objectivity must
continually be challenged to ensure validity of results.

• Within the scientific community there are ethical practices

which guarantee that scientific endeavors are carried out
under universally accepted standards around the world.
 The scientific community engages in certain quality control
measures to eliminate bias.
Results are verified by independent duplication and publication
in a peer-reviewed journal.

Independent duplication = Two or more scientists from different institutions investigate the
same question separately and get similar results.

Peer-reviewed journal = A journal that publishes articles only after they have been checked
for quality by several expert, objective scientists from different institutions.
 6. Different scientists may get different
solutions to the same problem.

• Results can be influenced by the race, gender,

nationality, religion, politics or economic interests of
the scientist.

• Sampling or measurement bias can result in different

solutions to the same problem.
 7. Knowledge of what science is, what it can and cannot
do, and how it works, is important for all people.

People need to be able to evaluate scientific information in

order to make informed decisions about:

• Health care
• Environmental issues
• Technological advances
• Public health issues
 Scientific Literacy
The aims of science education in the Philippines is to develop
scientific literacy among learners that will prepare them to be
informed and participative citizens who are able to make judgments
and decisions regarding applications of scientific knowledge that
may have social, health, or environmental impacts.
(DepEd, 2016).

Nearly four out of five (77.97%) PISA eligible

students in the Philippines achieved proficiency
levels below Level 2
(Department of Education, 2019).

In terms of scientific literacy the country placed

the second lowest among the 79 countries
(OECD, 2019).
 Science is a Complex Social
28

Activity

Scientific knowledge is tied to social and cultural

factors.

Scientific research is dependent upon financial

support, and this can influence - both positively and
negatively - which areas are investigated.
 Science is a Complex Social
29

Activity
1998 – Researchers first extract stem
cells from human embryos
1999 – first successful human transplant
of insulin-making cells from cadavers
2001- Pres. Bush restricts federal funding
for embryonic STEM cell research
2002 – juvenile diabetes research
foundation international creates 20
million dollar fund-raising effort to
support the research
2004- Harvard researchers grow stem
cells from embryos using private funding
2004 – ballot measure for 3 billion dollar
bond for stem cells
2009 - President Obama lifted the ban on
using federal taxpayer dollars to fund
stem cell research.
 Benefits of science to Society

New scientific knowledge may

lead to new applications.
For example, the discovery of
the structure of DNA was a
fundamental breakthrough in
biology. It formed the
underpinnings of research that
would ultimately lead to a wide
variety of practical
applications, including DNA
fingerprinting, genetically
engineered crops, and tests for
genetic diseases.
 Benefits of science to Society

UK Research and Innovation, 2020

New technological advances may lead to new scientific discoveries.
For example, developing DNA copying and sequencing technologies has
led to important breakthroughs in many areas of biology, Sequencing
enabled the world to rapidly identify SARS-CoV-2 and develop
diagnostic tests and other tools for outbreak management. Continued
genome sequencing supports the monitoring of the disease’s spread
and evolution of the virus.
Benefits of science to Society

Potential applications may

motivate scientific
investigations.
For example, the possibility of
engineering microorganisms to
cheaply produce drugs for
diseases like malaria motivates
many researchers in the field to
continue their studies of
microbe genetics.
Equipped with his five senses, man
explores the universe around him
and calls the adventure Science.
Thank you for
listening! 
 References

https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/mhccmajorsbio/chapter/the-scientific-process/

https://coronavirusexplained.ukri.org/en/article/und0001/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jun/10/gm-mosquitos-malaria-genetic-
modification

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240018440

https://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/scienceflowchart

Toffler, A., & Toffler, H. (2006). Revolutionary wealth:. New York; Alfred Knopf.
Unit 2 Activity
UNIT TEST 1 NEXT MEETING:
March 2, 2022