Bio 130 Module 1.1 How Science Works PDF

What is…. Science is….  Science …. From Latin word “scientia”, meaning Knowledge A systematic and logical approach to discovering how things work. Covers many very different topics Science vs Anecdote Anecdotes, individual stories, can suggest things tha...

What is…. Science is….  Science …. From Latin word “scientia”, meaning Knowledge A systematic and logical approach to discovering how things work. Covers many very different topics Science vs Anecdote Anecdotes, individual stories, can suggest things that should be investigated with the scientific method, but they are not trustworthy evidence Scientific understanding is based on large samples and average outcomes to draw conclusions Anecdote: My daughter didn’t show any signs of autism, then she got a vaccine, now she has autism Science: When looking at thousands of children the average occurrence of autism is the same for children who are and are not vaccinated Science Disciplines Physics Mathematics Chemistry Computer Science Astronomy Geology Logic Biology Logical Thinking Methods Inductive Reasoning Deductive Reasoning Descriptive Science Controlled Related Observations Experiment General Conclusions Hypothesis Based Data can be Scientific Method qualitative or Predict specific quantitative results Need large amounts of Data Scientific Method First documented by Sir Francis Bacon in the 1500’s Requires empirical or measurable evidence Results must be repeatable Scientific Method Hypothesis Hypothesis- An explanation based on limited evidence that can be tested Must be Testable and Falsifiable Can be disproven but never proven Experiments… Designed to test a Hypothesis Variables  Independent variable  Dependent variable Controlled Variables Experiments…  Challenge Statement Hypothesis Theories Laws Strongly Agree Not Disagree Strongly Agree Sure Disagree  Hypothesis, Theories, & Laws Long standing hypothesis can become theories. Theories can never be proven, never become Laws Laws are observations consistently proven using mathematical equations  E=mc2 Basic Science Vs. Applied Science Basic Science – pursuing knowledge for the sake of understanding and knowledge regardless of short term benefit Applied Science – developing technology to solve real world problems Basic Science Vs. Applied Science DNA Discovery & Genetic disease understanding testing, CSI, paternity Human Genome Curing genetic Project diseases Penicillin discovery Antibiotics