Chapter =) bale Science of Biology Ke Researchers paired this wood ant microchip to show their relative A scanning electron microscope was use to make this image, which has been artificially colored.1-1 What Is Science? ;ne ancient evening, lost in the mists of time, someone looked into the sky and wondered for the first time: What are those lights? Where did plants and animals come from? How did I come to be? Since then, humans have tried to answer those questions. At first, the answers our ancestors came up with involved tales of magic or legends like the one that inspired the art in Figure 1-1. Then, slowly, humans began to explore the natural world using a scientific approach. What Science Is and Is Not What does it mean to say that an approach to a problem is scientific? > The goal of science is to investigate and understand nature, to explain events in nature, and to use those explanations to make useful predictions. Science has several features that make it different from other human endeavors. First, science deals only with the natu- ral world. Second, scientists collect and organize information in a careful, orderly way, looking for patterns and connections between events. Third, scientists propose explanations that can be tested by examining evidence. In other words, science is an organized way of using evidence to learn about the natural world. The word science also refers to the body of knowledge that scientists have built up after years of using this process. Guide for Reading J Key Concept ‘* What is the goal of science? Vocabulary science observation data inference hypothesis Reading Sti 2 Making Comparisons As you read, list steps that scientists Use to soive problems. After you read, compare the methods you Use to solve problems with those used by scientists, 4 Figure 1-1 A Navajo artist, Harrison Begay, pro- duced this painting called Creation of North Sacred ‘Mountain. It shows the first ‘woman and man interacting with nature, ‘The Science of Biology 8A Figure 1-2 The goal of science is to investigate and understand nature. The first step in this process is making observations, This researcher is observing the behavior of a manatee in Florida. 4 Chapter 1 Science starts with observation, Observation involves using one or more of the senses—sight, hearing, touch, smell, and sometimes taste—to gather information. The information gathered from observations, such as those being made in Figure 1-2, is called evidence, or data, Observations can be classified into two types. Quantitative observations involve numbers, for example, counting or measur- ing objects. An example of a quantitative observation is There are seven birds at the feeder. Qualitative observations involve characteristics that cannot be easily measured or counted, such as color or texture. A qualitative observation could be One of the birds has a red head. As scientists make observations, they try to be objective and avoid bias, which is a preference for a partic- ular, predetermined point of view. ‘An observation alone has little meaning in science, because the goal is to understand what was observed. Scientists usually follow observations with inferences. An inference is a logical interpretation based on prior knowledge and experience. For example, researchers might sample water from a reservoir, as shown in Figure 1-3. If samples collected from different parts of the reservoir are all clean enough to drink, the researchers may infer that all the water in the reservoir is safe to drink. “4 Figure 1-3 Researchers testing water for lead pollution cannot test every drop, so they check small amounts, called samples. Inferring How might a local community use such scientific information?Explaining the Evidence ‘Suppose a group of people became ill with an unknown kind of infectious disease after attending a large public event. Health professionals would want to know how the people contracted the disease. They might form several hypotheses. A hypothesis is a possible explanation for a set of observations or an answer to a scientific question, In everyday settings, a hypothesis can be stated about any topic or idea. In science, a hypothesis is useful only if it ean be tested. In the infectious disease example, health professionals might Propose several competing hypotheses: (1) The disease was spread by human contact. (2)'The disease was spread through insect bites. (3) The disease was spread through contaminated air, water, or food. Evidence could be gathered to test each of these hypotheses. The incorrect hypotheses would be ruled out, and the correct explanation would eventually be found. Scientific hypotheses may be developed and tested in differ- ent ways, often by researchers working in teams like the one in Figure 1-4, Hypotheses may arise from prior knowledge, logical inferences, or imaginative guesses. The testing may sometimes be done by making further observations or through careful questioning. Discovering how infected individuals contracted a disease, for instance, might require surveying what they did before developing the disease symptoms. Often, however, a hypothesis is tested through a controlled experiment, a proce- dure you'll learn about in the next section. The tests of a hypoth- esis may support it, or suggest that the hypothesis is partly true but needs to be revised. The tests may even prove that the hypothesis is wrong. No matter what the outcome, a tested hypothesis has value in science because it helps researchers advance scientific knowledge. sece0. How do scientists develop hypotheses? Uta TL To find out more about the topics in this chapter, go to: www.phschool.com 4 Figure 1-4 Researchers often ‘work in teams, combining imagina- tion and logic to develop and test hypotheses. Applying Concepts How do scientists decide whether to ‘accept or reject a hypothesis? The Science of Biology 5A Scientific View of the World People often think about everyday events in a scientific way. ‘Suppose a car won't start, Perhaps it’s out of gas. A glance at the fuel gauge tests that idea. Perhaps the battery is dead. An auto mechanic can use an instrument to test that idea. A logical person would continue to look for a mechanical explanation, testing one possible explanation after another until the cause of the problem was identified. All scientists, including the researcher in Figure 1-5, bring the same kind of problem-solving attitude to their work. They consider the whole universe a system in which basic rules apply to all events, small or large. Scientists assume that those rules can be discovered through scientific inquiry. They collect data as a means of achieving their goal—a better understanding of nature. For scientists, science is an ongoing process, not the discovery of an unchanging, absolute truth. Scientific findings are always subject to revision as new evidence is developed. In keeping with this approach to pursuing knowledge, certain qualities are desirable in a scientist: curiosity, honesty, open- mindedness, skepticism, and the recognition that science has limits. An open-minded person is ready to give up familiar ideas if the evidence demands it. A skeptical person continues to ask questions and looks for alternative explanations. Scientists are persuaded by logical arguments that are supported by evidence. Despite recognizing the power of science, scientists know that science has definite limits. Science cannot help you decide whether a painting is beautiful or cheating on a test is wrong. 4 Figure 1-5 in 1991, hikers in the Italian Alps Scotter peered corse at wes bout 5000 yen ot Scents mgt ave sed how thecarps cules wel reseed ik they Se steady knew the answer Sub eo temperatures itep he cya tat ase decomposition . from doing their job. Posing Questions What - Grete ter cite ueiom ht mig be asked about this discovery?Science and Human Values ‘Most of this textbook deals with the workings of biological science. The importance of science, however, reaches far beyond the scientific world. Today, scientists contribute information to discussions about health and disease, and about the relation- ship between human beings and the rest of the living world. Make a list of things that you need to understand to protect your life and the lives of others close to you. Chances are that your list will include drugs and aleohol, smoking and lung disease, AIDS, cancer, and heart disease. Other questions focus on public health and the environment. How ean we best use antibiotics to make sure that those “wonder drugs” keep work- ing for a long time? How much of the information in your genes should you be able to keep private? Should communities pro- duce electricity using fossil fuels, nuclear power, or hydroelectric dams? How should chemical wastes be disposed of? Who should be responsible for their disposal? The people in Figure 1-6 are expressing their concern about the effect of pollution on Earth. All of these questions involve scientific information. For that reason, an understanding of science and the scientific approach is essential to making intelligent decisions about them. None of these questions, however, can be answered by science alone. ‘They involve the society in which we live and the economy that provides jobs, food, and shelter. They may require us to consider laws and moral principles. In our society, scientists alone do not make final decisions—they make recommendations. Who makes the decisions? We, the citizens of our democracy do—when we vote to express our opinions to elected officials. That is why it is more important than ever that everyone understand what science is, what it can do, and what it cannot do. Least 1, BDkkey Concept What does _ 5. Critical Thinking Making science study? What does it not study? 2. What does it mean to describe a scientist as skeptical? Why is skepticism considered a valuable quality in a scientist? 3. What is the main difference between qualitative and quanti- tative observations? 4. sa scientific hypothesis accepted if there is no way to prove that the hypothesis is wrong? Explain your answer. Judgments Suppose a commu- nity proposes a law to require the ‘wearing of seatbelts in all moving vehicles. How could science play a role in the decision? daa Assessment Use iText to review the important concepts in Section 1-1 A Figure 1-6 How people treat the environment is an issue involv- ing science and human values. This protester shows her concern about the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Applying Concepts How is science involved in this discussion? How are values involved? Ca Making a Table | List the five main senses — Vision, hearing, smell, taste and touch—and give an” example of an observation that can be made using ‘ach sense. Then, add st least one inference that ould be made ror observation," Sach The Science of Biology 7