What is science?
- collection of facts
- process for understanding the world
- involves objective observation and experimentation
- explains the world around us
What is life?
A physical state characterized by the ability to replicate and the presence of metabolic activity.
Biodiversity
The variety and variability among all genes, species, and ecosystems.
Organisms use of _____ ______to build themselves & ________
genetic information
reproduce
Scientific literacy
A general understanding of the basics of biology/other sciences, the scientific method, and the social, political, and legal implications of scientific information.
- ability to use the process of scientific inquiry to think creatively about real-world issues related to biology
- communicate these thoughts to others
- integrate these ideas into decision making
Give two examples of biological issues that significantly affect our lives
global warming, fossil fuel use, stem cell research, and genetically modified foods
Superstition
The irrational belief that actions or circumstances that are not logically related to a course of events can influence its outcome
Scientific method
The process of finding the answers to natural phenomenas that involve making observations, constructing hypotheses, testing predictions, experimenting, and drawing conclusions and revising them if necessary.
If something isn’t discovered or explained via the scientific method, then it is explained via…
systematic, orderly observations/examinations
empirical
based on experience and observations that are rational, testable, and repeatable.
How does science differ from other ways of acquiring knowledge about the world?
Science is empirical. Empirical knowledge is based on experimentation and observation. Empirical results can be tested again and again and corrected as needed.
What are the characteristics of a scientifically useful hypothesis?
A useful hypothesis must establish mutually exclusive alternative explanations for a phenomenon and must generate testable predictions
A useful hypothesis must establish mutually exclusive alternative explanations for a phenomenon and must generate testable predictions
If the data are inconsistent with the hypothesis, the hypothesis is inaccurate and must be rejected or revised in light of this new information.
Placebo effect
frequently observed phenomenom in which people respond favorably to any type of treatment
Double blind experiment
Neither the subject nor the doctor administrating the tablet knew it contains, eliminating any bias or influence related to the treatment before analuzing the results
Treatment
any experimental condition applied to the research subjects
Experimental group
aka Treatment group
a group of subjects who are exposed to a particular treatment—for example, the individuals given echinacea rather than placebo in the experiment described above.
Control group
a group of subjects who are treated identically to the experimental group, with one exception—they are not exposed to the treatment
Variables
the characteristics of an experimental system that are subject to change
example: the amount of echinacea a person is given, or a measure of the coarseness of an individual’s hair
Blind experimental design
An experimental design in which the subjects do not know what treatment (if any) they are receiving.
In crafting a well-designed experiment, describe the four elements common to most experiments that are used to maximize an experiment’s power.
- First, treatment is any experimental condition that is applied to the research subjects.
- Second, the experimental group is the group of subjects who are exposed to a particular treatment.
- Third, the control group is a group of subjects who are treated identically to the experimental group, except they are not exposed to the treatment.
- Finally, variables are the characteristics of an experimental system that are subject to change.
Whether making a point, illustrating an idea, or facilitating the testing of a hypothesis, visual displays of data typically have one feature in common; what is this common feature?
they condense large amounts of information into a more easily digested form. In doing so, they can help readers think about and compare data, ultimately helping them to synthesize the information and see useful patterns.
List some ways to display data
maps, tables, charts, and graphs.
Independent variable
entity that can be observed and measured at the start of a process, and whose value can be changed as required
Dependent variable
- one that can also be observed and measured, but whose response is created by the process being observed and depends on the independent variable.
- generally represented by the y-axis and is expected to change in response to a change in the independent variable (x axis)
Why would a scientist choose to visually display a relationship among data using a bar or line graph instead of a pie chart?
Line and bar graphs are functions of two variables or axes: the independent variable, or x-axis, and the dependent variable, or y-axis. In displaying data through line and bar graphs, the relationship among the individual samples can be visualized by connecting the points or comparing the heights of the bars, respectively. By choosing to use a pie chart, however, only the relationship of a sample size among the whole can be visualized.
Pseudoscience
individuals make scientific-sounding claims that are not supported by trustworthy, methodical scientific studies
Anecdotal observations
based on just one or a few observations, people conclude that there is or is not a link between two things
Life
- complex and ordered organization of cells
- the use and transformation of energy to perform work
- responsiveness to the external environment (light, moisture etc)
- regulation and homeostasis
- growth, development, and reproduction
- evolutionary adaptation to have the ability to change over time
What two unifying themes govern the study of biology as presented in this text?
hiearchial organization of life, and the power of evolution
