Sec 1Thinking like a

Scientist

What is Science?• Science – A way of learning. A body of

knowledge about the natural world

• An ongoing investigation. This class in a sense is like a history class…..

• A collection of unified insights of science that have been proven – “Theories”

• Theory – A general set of principles, supported by evidence, that explains some aspect of nature

SCIENCE AS A PROCESS

• Begins with an Observation

• Leads to a Questiono Why? How? What?

• Build an Hypothesis

• Design an Experiment to test the

hypothesis

• Draw the most probable Conclusion

This process fits ALLLLLL careers…

Experiments are tests of ideas… of hypotheses…

• The Hypothesis-“Spontaneous Generation” of life

• The Experiment Design• Results• Conclusion

• Thesis… Antithesis…

Pasteur and spontaneous generation

Pasteur and spontaneous generation…

What is the significance of this finding???>>>>>

Experimental Design:Dictates whether “good”

or “bad” science..• All variables are kept

constant except the one being tested.

• Experiment is repeated to ensure results are not by chance

• A “CONTROL” is defined as a comparative condition in an experiment in which no variables are introduced.

• Le Temoin

Clinical Studies• “vested interest” in success (the inventor, or company,

have invested $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$)

• Biased, “conflict of interest”

• Drug and placebo

• Placebo effect!

• Blind, and, even better, so-called “double blind”

Scientific Principles…• Every assertion regarding the natural world is

subject to challenge and revision, based on evidence

• Results obtained in experiments must be reproducible

• Any scientific hypothesis or claim must be falsifiable, meaning open to negation through means of scientific inquiry.

• There is no BELIEF SYSTEM

• Actually work with the NULL HYPOTHESIS…

• Peer review… publication, other lab must repeat

Scientific Principles…

…Religious Principles

• What is faith?

• What is science?

• These are separate systems.

• At one time, you were considered a heretic (an enemy of the church) if you considered that the earth rotated around the sun).

• Politicians/ advertisers / theologians often mingle these belief systems to “steal” your vote / money / faith …

The most intriguing part of all….• A hypothesis can never be proven• It can only be supported by evidence• It CAN be disproven…

• This is the antithesis of faitho As a scientist, you can have faith in yourselfo And faith that you will find the answero But you must “step back” from your results and

remain open to new ideas

o YOU can and should digest new information scientifically…

o Often Yahoo ≠ fact. What does it = ????

Biology – Science of Life

• Characteristics of living things• Assimilate and use energy• Respond to environment • Possess inherited information and it is passed

on, as DNA• Highly organized• Extremely complex to study, involves physics

and chemistry…• “Biogeochemistry” (Earth, Wind & Fire)