Lecture 03 What Is Science

A way of investigating the world in order to
form general rules about why things

happen.
Science is a way of knowing based on
experimental or observational evidence
and its interpretation.
Modern Science is a discipline largely
defined by its primary method – the
scientific method.
The nature of science
• Science:
– A systematic process for learning about the world
and testing our understanding of it
– The accumulated body of knowledge that results
from a dynamic process of observation, testing,
and discovery
• Science is essential:
– To sort fact from fiction
– Develop solutions to the problems we face
Pure Science- pursuit of knowledge
Applied Science- search for practical uses of
scientific knowledge
Pain relief
in terminal
tetradoxin cancer
patients
When did the study of science begin?
Paleolithic paintings on cave walls and

recordings on bones- observations
32,000 years ago
When did the study of science begin?
Mesopotamian
7,000 B.C. to 6th century B.C.
Medical text
Astronomy
Bronze surgical knives
Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)
• Scientific method (observation, inductive

reasoning)
• Described hundreds of marine species
• Dolphin is a mammal
• The earth is round
• Biology (spontaneous generation)-
disproved by Francesco Redi (1668), an
Italian doctor who proved maggots came
from flies.
Ptolemy (170 A.D.)- geocentric universe
Copernicus (1500’s)- heliocentric universe;

not accepted until 100 years after his death
Galileo (1600’s)- physicist, astronomer, scientific method

Characteristics of Scientific Explanations
Science is empirical. It relies on observation and
experience.
The phenomenon studied must be measurable.
Phenomenon that cannot be measured:
Is this painting beautiful?
Does God exist?
It must be consistent with known natural laws and
well-established, well-documented existing theories.
It must be derived objectively from independently
confirmable observations.
All scientific knowledge must be regarded as
tentative.
The scientific method
A technique for testing ideas
• Observations
• Question
• Formulate Hypothesis
• Conduct Experiment
• Analyze Results
• Conclusions
Ben Franklin &
the Gulf Stream
Observation:
Question:
1786
Hypothesis:
Test hypothesis:
Analyze Results:
Draw Conclusion:
1996
Scientific Method
• Observations
– Suggest questions to investigate
• Question
– Why does something happen
• Hypothesis
– An educated guess
– A testable explanation for an observation
Scientific Method
• Conduct Experiment
– Process of testing a hypothesis or prediction by
– gathering data under controlled conditions
OR by
– Non-controlled experimental observations which
address the hypothesis
Analyze Results
Draw Conclusions
Scientists form ideas
Two Primary Approaches to Science
Hypothesis-driven or
experimental science.
Discovery or observational
science.
Hypothesis-Driven Studies
Discovery/Observational
Studies
Discovery/Observational
Studies
Some Scientific
Questions or
Explinations
Can’t Be
Answered By
Experimentation
Scientific statements must be testable
and reproducible (i.e., valid & reliable).
Hypothesis:The fibropapilloma
virus causes tumors in green sea
turtles.
Hypothesis: Hermatypic corals
exposed to temperatures above
36oC expel their symbiotic zoothanthellae.
Hypothesis: Naval explosions at the

thermocline layer cause hearing loss in
whales.
Hypothesis:
Ulua are better predators.
January1992 in the North Pacific
Rubber Duckies and Ocean currents.

• Jim Ingram (NOAA scientist)- offered a
reward

• He graphed and studied the data as it

came in.
• Hypothesis: ocean currents were moving
the ducks in about the same speed and
direction that the currents were going!
Rubber Duck distributions and Ocean Currents
Paine’s study on Pisaster and blue mussels
What effect does starfish removal have on community structure?
Pisaster mussels
(Mytilus)
barnacles chiton limpet

Paine’s study on Pisaster and blue mussels
Keystone Species
Scientific Method
• Collect, organize, analyze data

– Determine whether data is reliable
– Determine whether data supports or does
not support the hypothesis or prediction
– May use statistics
• Compare data from other studies
• Determine relationships
• Determine experimental error
Scientific Method
• Drawing Conclusions
– To understand something not previously
understood
– To produce a model
• Construct a representation of an object, a system, or
a process to help show relationships given the data
• A model is an explanation supported by data
• Use the model to generate new hypotheses or
predictions
Contrasting Hypotheses,
Theories, and Laws
What is difference between hypothesis,
theory & law?
Hypothesis - “an educated guess”; a tentative

explanation of phenomena.
Theory - a widely accepted explanation of natural

phenomena; has stood up to thorough &
continual testing.
Law - a statement of what always occurs under

certain conditions.
Scientific Method
• Theories
– Unifying explanations for a broad range of
observations
– Based on testing a collection of related
hypotheses
– The solid foundation of science
– Can be revised given new evidence
Scientific theories and laws
• Using scientific method a theory is almost never proven.
A few theories do become scientific laws (such as the
law of gravity) and laws are generally considered to be
without exception — though in fact even some laws
have been modified over time after further testing found
discrepancies.
• This does not mean theories are not meaningful. For a
hypothesis to become a theory, rigorous testing must
occur, typically across multiple disciplines by separate
groups of scientists. Saying something is “just a theory”
is a lay person’s term that has no relationship to science,
because in science, a theory is something that is very
well supported by observation and experimentation.
Theories
Cell Theory
Evolution
Laws
Physics, Chemistry, Math- Lots!!!!
Biology: Mendelian Inheritance

Darwin- HMS Beagle (1831)
Subsidence theory
Origin of Species (1859)
Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Wegener (1915)
Continental drift theory
Pangaea 248 mya
65 mya
present
Global Warming
Fact or Fiction?
Inquiry
What is the difference between pure and
applied science?
What are the six general “steps” used in the
modern “Scientific Method”?
What is the difference between a hypothesis,
theory and law?
Can a theory ever be proven?
State Ben Franklin’s hypothesis for what later
became known as the Gulf Stream.

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A way of investigating the world in order to

form general rules about why things

Paleolithic paintings on cave walls and

• Scientific method (observation, inductive

Copernicus (1500’s)- heliocentric universe;

Galileo (1600’s)- physicist, astronomer, scientific method

Hypothesis: Naval explosions at the

• He graphed and studied the data as it

barnacles chiton limpet

• Collect, organize, analyze data

Hypothesis - “an educated guess”; a tentative

Theory - a widely accepted explanation of natural

Law - a statement of what always occurs under

Biology: Mendelian Inheritance

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Pangaea 248 mya

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