1.2 Science in Context

SC912.N.3.1

Created by Lynn Collins (April, 2013)

Key Questions What scientific attitudes help

generate new ideas? Why is peer review important? What is a scientific theory? What is the relationship between

science and society?

Vocabulary

theory

bias

Exploration and DiscoveryBiologist tracking whale hunting

behavior

The Process of Science

Exploration and Discovery:Where Ideas Come From

What scientific attitudes help generate new ideas? Skepticism – question existing ideas,

hypotheses and refuse to accept an explanation without evidence

Open-mindedness – willing to accept different ideas

Creativity – design experiments that yield accurate data

Exploration and Discovery

Sometimes ideas for scientific investigations come from practical problems.

For example – salt marshes…

are ecologically and commercially important, but are under immense pressure from industry and housing developers. If new houses or farms are located near salt marshes, can they be designed to protect the marshes?:

Ideas from practical problems…

People living on Murrell’s Inlet may fact flooding problems. What are some scientific questions that can arise from a situation like this?

These types of practical questions and issues inspire scientific questions, hypotheses, and experiments.

Technology, science, and society are closely linked…

Communicating Results:Reviewing and Sharing

Ideas Why is peer review important?

Published articles undergo peer review by anonymous, independent experts.

KEY: Publishing peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals allows researchers to share ideas and to test and evaluate each other’s work.

Sharing Knowledge & New Ideas

Once research has been published, it enters the dynamic marketplace of scientific ideas and possibly spark new ideas.

Communicating Results

Scientific Theories KEY: What is a scientific theory?

KEY: In science, the word theory applies to a well-tested explanation that unifies (brings together) a broad range of observations and hypotheses that makes it possible for scientists to make accurate predictions about new situations. Example: Darwin

A useful theory that has been thoroughly tested and supported by many lines of evidence may become the dominant view among the majority of scientists, but no theory is considered absolute.

Science is always changing…Science is always changing…

Science and Society KEY: What is the relationship between

science and society? Many questions cannot be answered by science alone. They require the combined effort of society, science, our economy, and our laws and moral principles.

KEY: Using science involves understanding its context in society and its limitations.

Science both influences society and is influenced by

society

Science, ethics and morality

When scientists explain “why” something happens, their explanation involves only natural phenomena.

Pure science does not include ethical or moral viewpoints. Example: Biologists try to explain in scientific terms what life is, how life operates and how life has changed HOWEVER, it does not try to answer questions about why life exists or what the meaning of life is.

Avoiding Bias The way that science is applied in

society can be affected by bias. Bias is a particular preference or point of view that is personal, rather than scientific.

Scientists aim to be objective, but they are human too! Scientific data can be misinterpreted or misapplied by scientists who want to prove a particular point.