Science in Context Biology Ms. Poynter Textbook pages 10 - 15 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Chapter 1 Lesson 2 Science in Context

Biology

• Ms. Poynter

Textbook pages 10 - 15

Exploration and Discovery: Where Ideas Come From

 Scientific Attitudes: Good scientists share scientific attitudes, or

habits of mind, that lead them to exploration and discovery.

 Curiosity: Ask questions that spark curiosity and lead to new

questions.

 Skepticism: Question existing ideas and hypotheses; refuse to accept

explanations without evidence.

 Open-Mindedness: Remain willing to accept different ideas that may

not agree with their hypotheses.

 Creativity: Think creatively to design experiments that yield accurate

data.

Exploration and Discovery: Where Ideas Come From

 Practical Problems  Sometimes ideas for scientific investigations arise from practical

problems.

 Practical problems inspire scientific questions, hypotheses, and

experimentation.

Exploration and Discovery: Where Ideas Come From

 Practical Problems  Sometimes ideas for scientific investigations arise from practical

problems.

 Practical problems inspire scientific questions, hypotheses, and

experimentation.

 Ex: Building in environmentally sensitive areas like

sea turtle nesting habitat.

Exploration and Discovery: Where Ideas Come From

 Practical Problems  Sometimes ideas for scientific investigations arise from practical

problems.

 Practical problems inspire scientific questions, hypotheses, and

experimentation.

 Ex: How can we control mosquito

populations to prevent the spread

• f disease?

Exploration and Discovery: Where Ideas Come From

 Practical Problems  Sometimes ideas for scientific investigations arise from practical

problems.

 Practical problems inspire scientific questions, hypotheses, and

experimentation.

 Ex: How can we modify food systems to

produce the most amount of food in the least amount of space to accommodate the growing human population?

Exploration and Discovery: Where Ideas Come From

 The Role of Technology  Discoveries in the field of science can lead to new technologies.  New technologies can help scientists learn more and lead to new

discoveries.

Communicating Results: Reviewing and Sharing Ideas

 Peer Review  In peer review, scientific papers are reviewed by anonymous,

independent experts.

 Publishing peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals allows

researchers to share ideas and to test and evaluate each other’s work.

 These articles are like high powered versions of lab reports.  Peer review makes the information more credible.

Communicating Results: Reviewing and Sharing Ideas

 Sharing Knowledge and New Ideas  Once research has been published, it enters the scientific

“marketplace” where it is discussed, feedback is given, and results are replicated.

Scientific Theories

 What is a scientific theory?  In science, the word theory applies to a well-tested

explanation that unifies a broad range of observations and

• hypotheses. They allow scientists to make accurate

predictions about new situations.

 A useful theory that has been thoroughly tested and

supported by many lines of evidence may become the dominant view among the majority of scientists, but no theory is considered absolute truth.

 Science is always changing; as new evidence is uncovered,

a theory may be revised or replaced by a more useful explanation.

Scientific Theories

 A scientific theory

 an explanation of some aspect of the natural world.  have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and

experiment.

 are not "guesses" but reliable accounts of the real world.

Scientific Laws

 Statement about how things work in nature or the universe.  A description of an observed phenomenon.

 It doesn't explain why the phenomenon exists or what causes it.  The explanation of the phenomenon is a scientific theory.  It is a misconception that theories turn into laws with enough

research.

 Laws are descriptions — often mathematical descriptions — of

natural phenomenon.

 EXAMPLES: Newton’s Law of Gravity or Law of Conservation of Energy

(energy can neither be created nor destroyed, rather it transforms from one form into another).

 These laws simply describe the observation. Not how or why they

work

Scientific Theories vs. Laws

Science and Society

 Science, Ethics, and Morality  Scientists are expected to act both ethically and morally when

conducting research.

 However, pure science does not include ethical or moral viewpoints.  Science can explain what life is, how life operates, and how life

changes over time.

 Science cannot answer questions about why life exists or what the

meaning of life is.

 This is a limitation of science.

Science and Society

 Avoiding Bias  A bias is a particular preference or point of view that is personal,

rather than scientific.

 Examples include personal tastes, preferences for someone or

something, and societal standards of beauty.

 Science aims to be objective, but scientists are human.  Sometimes bias can cause data to be misinterpreted or misapplied.

Science and Society

 Understanding and Using Science  Science will keep changing as long as humans keep wondering about

nature.

 If you learn to think as scientists think, you will understand the

process of science and be comfortable in a world that will keep changing throughout your life.