Biological Diversity w Dr Mark Kershner Science Scientific Method and Misused Terms Created by Samantha Robison To even understand biological diversity we need a working definition of science itself that will be used comprehensively throughout the class What is science Most people respond with a description or explanation a purpose or goal Therefore we ask what is the purpose of science To seek an increasingly accurate explanation of the natural world this explanation is always building changing We also assume that in science a Natural phenomena have natural explanations which follow natural rules patterns b Nat rules patterns are unchanging across space and time i e gravity is true across the planet c We can understand these explanations and patterns with the scientific method So we will define science as An organized body of knowledge describing the nat world this is the description part With a systematic process of acquiring organizing and communicating this knowledge this is the purpose goal part For this to work a few conditions must be met Science must be a Based upon the best available evidence b Objective and unbiased so therefore trustworthy c Verifiable testable repeatable d Acquired using the scientific method Observation data pool Questions Hypothesis Experiment Use reasoning to interpret i e Why are there so many worms on campus when it rains 1 Observation data single multiple observations Objective unbiased impartial Restricted to our senses sight smell touch etc 2 Question 3 Hypothesis Improved with devices instruments like microscopes framed generated based on the observation data tentative explanation of observation data NOT a random guess Based on inductive or deductive reasoning Inductive uses specific observation data to generate a more general idea i e Daisy the dog has hair a lot of other dogs have hair 5 dogs have hair so ALL dogs must have hair i e Principle every dog has hair So if it is a dog then it must have hair applies a general principle to predict specific results Deductive Clear focused prediction very specific not vague or too general Must also be testable be able to make further observations surveys experiments to test this hypothesis 4 Experiment manipulation of some variable or factor There is a suspected CAUSE explanation and a measurement of the EFFECT of the manipulation You must account for most all other variables that influence the EFFECT you measure must have controls Must be repeatable for consistency of results Interpretation of the experiment Experimental Outcome Compare outcome to hypothesis If the outcome supports the hypothesis We would say we accept it To proceed one could redo or redesign the experiment stop or design a new experiment to obtain further support If the outcome doesn t support the hypothesis We would say we reject it To proceed one could redesign the experiment revise the hypothesis redo the experiment or stop abandon the experiment altogether The word reject is very definite The word accept does NOT mean to prove and does NOT mean find to be true Science does NOT prove anything or determine truth All results could change with new data it is simply based on the current understanding of the best available evidence Important Often Misused Terms FACT well confirmed observation There is a lot of independent evidence to support Unlikely to be overturned NOT proof or truth LAW general statement describing some aspect of the natural world and how it behaves NOT KNOWN TO VARY i e laws of gravity thermodynamics HYPOTHESIS possible tentative explanation of an observation May be weakly supported strongly supported or not supported at all THEORY a very well supported explanation that uses tested hypotheses facts and laws Supported by ample amount of data observations Multiple lines of independent evidence NO scientist would ever say It s just a theory FACTS AND LAWS require explanations HYPOTHESES AND THEORIES provide explanations
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