Journal – Bio Basics

1. Journal – Bio Basics • Yesterday we talked a little about what counts as science – what is and is not science. Try to come up with your own, 1-sentence definition for the word “science”. • What do you think of when you hear the word “cleavage”? [Yes, this is a trick question] What do you think of when you hear the word “law”? • Describe the scientific method? How might you use this in everyday life?

2. Agenda… Week Ahead INTRO QUIZ FRIDAY Today’s Topics & activities The Scientific Research Method Key Terms in Science

3. The Nature of Science What approaches do scientists use to make observations about the natural world, solve problems, and make sense of new information?

4. The Nature of Science How is this activity similar to “doing” science? • Assume that the pieces fit together – nature is a puzzle that we have not yet solved • Trial and error is an essential ingredient to science • New information may require the old theory to be modified or discarded • Our current information may be incomplete and therefore, our theories incorrect • Sometimes, we get lucky and find the right answer • Collaboration may be helpful • Once we arrive at the answer, it makes perfect sense – but we have to avoid assuming more pieces won’t come along!

5. Unit 1: The Basics of Biology First Set of Notes!

6. Brief tips for taking notes… You must take notes & you should use your notes Find a strategy that works for you Be consistent & organized Leave room for additions, revisions, key points & questions

7. A. What is Science? • Science: the organized systematic way of gathering knowledge about the natural world and summarizing that knowledge into testable laws and principles • Types of Science • Earth, Chemistry, Physics • Botany, Ecology, Genetics, Anatomy & Physiology • -”Ologies” – a branch or knowledge • The scientific process is increasingly being applied to answer questions in other fields

8. Approaches & Principles • Reductionist Approach • Study another more basic group to understand the one you are in • One thing builds on another • Inductive Reasoning • Inferences drawn on data or observations • Creating testable assumptions • Identifying relationships • Scientific research methods

9. Key characteristics of science • The natural world is understandable • Science demands evidence • Science is a blend of logic and imagination • Scientific ideas are durable • Scientific ideas are subject to change • Science is a social activity • Collaboration • Societal impact • Standards • Science avoids bias

10. B. Scientific Research Method • SRM provides a framework for acquiring & interpreting data • It is a systematic (step by step) way of answering questions • Observation: gather information using your senses • Question: define the problem • Hypothesis: a proposed explanation of the relationship between two variables based on limited existing evidence that can be tested

11. Experimental design • Independent variable (IV): manipulated factor in an experiment • Dependent variable (DV): measured, using qualitative ( /  ) or quantitative (#s) values, to show the effect of the independent variable • Constants: Factors kept the same for all individuals being tested in an experiment • Control: A group in an experiment that receives no treatment in order to compare the treated group against a norm • Data: record observations & measurements from the experiment • Analysis: graph data & interpret trends & results • Conclusion: refocus & ask “so what?”

12. Remember its not a straight one-shot process!

13. C. Terms to know in Biology • Fact: data that is observed to be true • Hypothesis: an idea that can be tested and the explains why we expect to see certain results What is this a part of? *Remember limits & benefits of expectations…

14. What other questions could I ask? Adding to the model “If….then…” “If I blow out this candle, then it will go out” is either a prediction or just an answer based on what is know We need to go further and explain WHY Hypothesis must be something that CAN BE PROVEN WRONG

15. TESTABLE EXPLAINATION “The candle will go out, because when you blow on it, it gets colder and its not hot enough for the fire to burn.”

16. Law: a true and universal fact that describes a single action or event • Laws are useful assumptions but do not provide explanations for why they are true • Examples: • Law of Inertia: “Once a force acts on an object it will keep moving in that direction unless another force acts on it” but,…..the law doesn’t tell us why this happens • Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion: Kepler put together decades of data and found for the six known planets, all of them behaved in manners described by his three statements, and in the early 1600’s we did not understand the Sun and planets were exerting forces on each other through gravitation • Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation: It does not tell us HOW two different masses exert forces on each other, it simply describes it and names it.

17. The question “How does a theory become a law?” is a trick question! The answer is – it cannot!! Scientific theories EXPLAIN things, laws state things.

18. Theory: a complex explanation of events or observations based on hypotheses, facts, evidence and laws • Supported multiple times • Altered, but not replaced • Multiple parts • Examples: • The Atomic Theory: “matter is made of discrete units of matter that maintain their ‘identity’ through physical and chemical change.” This theory is very useful in understanding chemical reactions and much more . • Copernicus’ Heliocentric Theory: an unquestioned idea among scientists that explains the motions of the planets, Moon, and Sun as observed from Earth. It pulls together many different observations and concepts together in a unifying explanation. • Theory of Evolution: Combines many different hypotheses and evidence to explain how speciation occurs • We are still in search of a theory of gravitation!

19. Theories are no less certain than laws. Theories and laws DO different things – Laws describe, theories explain. Theories and laws may need to be adjusted from time to time as we get new data but they are solid foundations from which we can launch new hypothesis in order to explain the world we live in

20. The Nature of Science

21. D. Biotic vsAbiotic • Biotic: living • Examples: You, me, plants, coral, fish, fossils, wood, decomposing organic matter • Abiotic: non-living, never-living • Examples: rocks, plastic, metal chairs, temperature, sunlight, wind, climate

22. Thumb Check True (up) or False (down)? • All Scientific ideas come from controlled experiments. • Scientific ideas change gradually over time. • The scientific method is accepted world-wide as the standard for research. • Science is based on the idea that, if a natural event is studied long and hard enough, it can be understood. • A law can someday become a theory. • Scientists are objective in their research. • Society has little influence on scientific research.

23. Thumb Check True (up) or False (down)? • All Scientific ideas come from controlled experiments. F • Scientific ideas change gradually over time. F • The scientific method is accepted world-wide as the standard for research. T • Science is based on the idea that, if a natural event is studied long and hard enough, it can be understood. T • A law can someday become a theory. F • Scientists are objective in their research. F (try) • Society has little influence on scientific research. F

24. In Your Planner… This week Key terms in scientific inquiry, experiment set up & lab safety, graphing, & intro to themes in biology INTRODUCTION QUIZ ON FRIDAY Homework Syllabus & Course Overview Signatures Fri. 8/24 Safety Contract Signature Fri. 8/24 Interests & Learning Styles Survey Fri. 8/24

25. Planner This week Key terms in scientific inquiry, experiment set up & lab safety, graphing, & intro to themes in biology INTRODUCTION QUIZ ON FRIDAY Homework • Syllabus & Course Overview Signatures Fri. 8/24 • Safety Contract Signature Fri. 8/24 • Interests & Learning Styles Survey Fri. 8/24