Chapter 1 The Science of Biology Marcellin Biology

Chapter 1: The Science of Biology Marcellin Biology

What is SCIENCE? n The goal of science is 1. Investigate and understand the natural world 2. Explain events in the natural world 3. Use explanations to make useful predictions

What is SCIENCE? n Science is different because 1. Deals only with the natural world 2. Scientists collect and organize information in a careful, orderly way. They look for patterns and connections among events. 3. Scientists propose explanations that can be tested by looking at evidence.

What is SCIENCE? n An organized way of using evidence to learn about the natural world.

What is SCIENCE? This “organized way” is also called … n THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD! n

What is SCIENCE? Science is an ongoing process. n Good scientists must be skeptical. They must constantly question existing ideas and new hypotheses. n

The Scientific Method n n n 1. Problem 2. Hypothesis 3. Procedure Controlled Experiment a. Manipulated (Independent) Variable This is deliberately changed. (ex. temperature, amount of light) THERE IS ONLY 1 MANIPULATED VARIABLE IN AN EXPERIMENT!!!!

The Scientific Method n 3. Procedure (continued) b. Responding (Dependent) Variable This changes in response to the manipulated variable. (ex. The height of a plant) c. Control Group Does not receive a variable Used for comparison

The Scientific Method n n n 4. Data 5. Conclusion 6. Publish results

What happens if a hypothesis is well-supported? It becomes a THEORY. n Theory- Well tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations. n

A Controlled Experiment Hypothesis: What is the effect of environment on a rabbit’s fur color? n We already know: n The rabbit normally has a white coat, except for its nose, feet, tail, and ears which are black. n

A Controlled Experiment Procedure: n 1. Shave an area of hair on 2 rabbits. n 2. Place an ice pack over the shaved area on one rabbit (A). n Results: n Rabbit A developed a black patch of fur where the ice pack was. n Rabbit B stayed the same. n

A Controlled Experiment What can we conclude? n Cold temperatures changes the rabbit’s fur color to black. n Which rabbit is the control group? n What is the manipulated variable? Responding? n Why do we need Rabbit B? n