Chapter

1The Science of Biology

1-1 What is Science?

Objectives What are the goals of science? What procedures are at the core of scientific methodology?

The Science of Biology

People have always been curious about living things The concepts, principles, and theories that allow people to understand the natural

environment form the core of Biology

Biology - _______________________________________________________________

What Science Is and Is Not

In this course you will learn a lot of facts and ideas about living things But don’t think that biology or any science is just a collection of never changing facts Scientific ideas are open to testing, discussion, and revision. This means ___________________________________________________________

Science as a Way of Knowing

Science - ________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

In other words science is a _________________________________ not a thing. The word science also refers to the body of knowledge that scientific studies have

gathered over the years

Q: How is science different from other human endeavors?

1.) _____________________________________________________________________

2.) _____________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

3.) _____________________________________________________________________

The Goals of Science

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The scientific way of knowing includes the view that the physical universe is a system composed of ____________________________________________________

From a scientific perspective, all objects and interactions in the universe are governed by __________________________________________________

The Goals of Science are…

1. ______________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Science, Change, and Uncertainty

Over centuries, scientists have gathered an enormous amount of information about the natural world

Ex.)

Yet, despite all we know, much of nature remains a mystery Scientific discoveries often raise more questions than they answer The constant change in science doesn’t mean that science has failed, it means that

science continues to advance Learning about science means more than just understanding what we know. It means

understanding what we don’t know

Scientific Methodology: The Heart of Science

Curiosity is often what motivates scientists to try to answer simple questions about everyday observations

The knowledge obtained when scientists answer questions provides better understanding of general principles or may lead to practical applications or even to new questions

Scientists approach to research is not much different to the way you usually solve problems. Everyone goes about it a little differently, but there is a general style of investigation called scientific methodology

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Q: What are the steps of scientific methodology?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Observing and Asking Questions

Scientific investigations begin with observation

Observation - ____________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Inferring and Forming a Hypothesis

After posing questions, scientists use further observations to make inferences

Inference - ______________________________________________________________

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Inference, combined with a creative imagination, can lead to a hypothesis

Hypothesis - _____________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Designing Controlled Experiments

Testing a scientific hypothesis often involves designing an experiment that keeps track of various factors that can change

These factors are called ______________________________ Whenever possible, a hypothesis should be tested by an experiment in which only one

variable is changed. All other variables should be kept unchanged, or ________________________

This type of experiment is called a ________________________________________

Q: Why is it important to control variables?A:

Independent variable - _____________________________________________________

Dependent variable - ______________________________________________________

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Example graphing independent and dependent variables

Control and Experimental Groups

Typically, an experiment is divided into control and experimental groups

Control group - ___________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Collecting and Analyzing Data

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Data - __________________________________________________________________

There are two main types of data

1.

2.

Research Tools

Scientists choose appropriate tools for collecting an analyzing data Ex.)

Sources of Error

No experiment is without some error Researchers must be careful to avoid errors in data collection and analysis

Q: What is the most common way to reduce error and validate results in experiments?A:

Drawing Conclusions

Scientists use experimental data as evidence to support, refute, or revise the hypothesis being tested, and to draw a valid conclusion.

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Q: What would be a valid conclusion based on this experimental data?A:

Revising hypotheses

During the course of an investigation, hypotheses may need to be revised and experiments redone several times

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When Experiments Are Not Possible

It is not always possible to test a hypothesis with an experimentEx.)

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Name _________________________________ Date ____________________ Per _____

1-1 Section Review

1. What is science?

2. What are the goals of science?

3. What kinds of understandings does science contribute to the natural world?

4. Draw a flow chart for scientific methodology

5. Why is a hypothesis important to controlled experiments?

6. Regents Question:

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1-2 Science in Context

Objectives: What scientific attitudes help generate new ideas Why is peer review important? What is a scientific theory? What is the relationship between science and society?

Exploration and Discovery: Where Ideas Come From

The observations and questions that always begin the scientific methodology are often inspired by scientific attitudes, practical problems, and new technology

Scientific Attitudes

1.

2.

3.

4.

Practical Problems

Sometimes, ideas for scientific investigations arise from practical problemsEx.)

The Role of Technology

Technology, science and society are closely linked Discoveries in science can lead to new technologies and vice versa

Communicating Results: Reviewing and Sharing Ideas

Communication and sharing of ideas are vital to modern science

Peer Review

Scientists share their findings with the scientific community by publishing articles that have undergone peer review

In peer review, scientific papers are reviewed by anonymous, independent experts

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Q: Why is peer review important?A:

Sharing Knowledge and New Ideas Once research has been published, it enters the dynamic marketplace of scientific

ideas where often the result is more questions that can be investigated

Scientific Theories

Evidence from many scientific studies may support several related hypotheses in a way that inspires researchers to propose a scientific ______________________ that ties those hypothesis together

A theory in everyday language is much different than a theory in science

Theory - ________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Science and Society

Many of the questions that involve science cannot be answered by science alone Using science involves understanding its context in society and its limitations Science can sometimes explain why or how something happens but it does not and

should not include ethical or moral viewpoints

Avoiding Bias

The way that science is applied can be affected by bias

Bias - __________________________________________________________________

Science aims to be objective, but scientists are human, too They have likes, dislikes, and occasional biases It shouldn’t surprise you that scientific data can be misinterpreted or misapplied by

scientists who want to prove a particular point But if enough of us understand science, we can help make certain that science is

applied in ways that benefit humanity

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Understanding and Using Science

Science will keep changing as long as humans keep wondering about nature Don’t just try to memorize the scientific facts and ideas you learn in class

o Try to understand how scientists developed those ideaso Try to see the thinking behind the experiments we describeo Try to pose the types of questions scientists ask

Understanding science will help you make complex decisions Furthermore, understanding biology will help you realize that we humans can predict

the consequences of our actions and take an active role in directing our future and that of our planet

In our society, scientists make recommendations about big policy decisions but they don’t make the decisions

Q: Who does make the decisions?

A:

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Name ________________________________ Date _________________ Per _______

1-2 Section Review

1. List the attitudes that lead scientists to explore and discover.

2. Which of your answers to question 1 do you think would lead you to explore and discover if you were a scientist?

3. What does it mean to describe a scientist as skeptical? Why is skepticism an important quality in a scientist?

4. What is peer review? Why is it important?

5. How does the use of the word theory differ in science and in daily life?

6. How is science influenced by society and how does society influence science?

7. What are some of the limitations of science?

8. A study shows that a new pesticide is safe for use on crops. The researcher who conducted the study works for the pesticide company. What potential biases may have affected the study?

9. Explain in your own words why science is considered a “way of knowing”

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1-3 Studying Life

Objectives: What characteristics do all living things share? What are the central themes of biology? How do different fields of biology differ in their approach to studying life? How is the metric system important to science?

Think about it… Of all the important and exciting news stories that you hear everyday, many of these

involve biology

B i o l o g y

Biology - ______________________________________________________

Q: What is life?

A:

The Characteristics of Living Things

1. Living things __________________________________________________________

2. Living things __________________________________________________________

3. Living things __________________________________________________________

Metabolism - ____________________________________________________________

4. Living things __________________________________________________________

5. Living things _________________________________

Asexual reproduction - _____________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Sexual reproduction - ______________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

6. Living things __________________________________________________________

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Stimulus - _______________________________________________________________Ex.)

7. Living things __________________________________________________________

Homeostasis - ____________________________________________________________Ex.)

8. Living things - _________________________________________________________

Big Ideas in Biology

The study of biology revolves around several interlocking big ideas or central themes:

1. Cellular Basis of Life2. Information and Heredity3. Matter and Energy4. Growth, Development and Reproduction5. Homeostasis6. Evolution7. Structure and Function8. Unity and Diversity of Life9. Interdependence in Nature10. Science as a Way of Knowing

Fields of Biology

Biology includes many overlapping fields that use different tools to study life from the level of molecules to the entire planet

Q: What are some fields of biology and what do they study?A:

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Performing Biological Investigations

Because researchers need to replicate one another’s experiments, and because many experiments involve quantitative data, scientists need a common system of measurement

Most scientists use the ___________________________________ when collecting data and performing experiments

This system is based on multiples of 10 so its easier to use than other measurement systems

Q: Why is it important that all scientific measurements be done in the same way?

A:

In biology, the metric units you will encounter most often are

________________________ (length)

________________________ (mass)

________________________ (volume)

________________________ (time)

________________________ (temperature)

Safety

Scientific investigations can sometimes be dangerous, therefore safety is always an important factor to consider in our experiments

Always follow safe practices in the lab and understand any safety precautions that you should be taking

The most important safety rule is __________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Name __________________________________ Date ___________________ Per _____

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1-3 Section Review

1. List the characteristics that define life.

2. Suppose you feel hungry, so you reach for a plum you see in a fruit bowl. Explain how both external and internal stimuli are involved in your action.

3. Which central theme of biology do you think interests you the most? Why?

4. Suppose you discover a new organism. What would you expect to see if you studied it under the microscope?

5. What is the difference between a cellular biologist and an ecologist? What is similar about those two professions?

6. Suppose two scientists are trying to perform an experiment that involves dangerous chemicals. How might their safety be affected by not using a common system of measurement.

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