Study Questions:
1) Define biology and science.
Study Questions:
1) Define biology and science.
- Biology: The scientific study of living systems
- Science: Observations, study, and experimentation of the physical universe in
order to describe the structure of the physical universe and the causes of
physical phenomena
Study Questions:
1) Define biology and science.
2) How do correlation and causality differ? Relate this to the difference between
observations and good experiments (and the use of controls).
Study Questions:
1) Define biology and science.
2) How do correlation and causality differ? Relate this to the difference between
observations and good experiments (and the use of controls).
Many things are happening at any one time in the physical universe; some of
these things cause other variables in the universe to change; but some things are
changing and have no effect on changes occurring in other variables.
Two variables (or events) are correlated if one changes in some regular way as the
other changes in some regular way. In a linear correlation, for instance, one
variable may increase as another variable increases (positive or ‘direct’
correlation) or decreases (negative or ‘indirect’ correlation). In a correlation, one
variable may be CAUSING the change in the other or NOT. All we know from a
correlation is that, as one variable changes, another does, too. Causality mean
that changes in the first variable are having an effect on the second, and are
responsible for the changes we see in the second variable.
Study Questions:
1) Define biology and science.
2) How do correlation and causality differ? Relate this to the difference between
observations and good experiments (and the use of controls).
The first step of an experiment is observation – which really means identifying
what variables correlate with changes in your variable of interest. These
correlates are likely candidates for the variable that may be CAUSING the changes
in your target variable that you are trying to explain. In an experiment, you hold
other variables constant (controlling their effect on the target variable), and you
manipulate the presumptive causative variable (independent variable). If you see
a change in your target variable, you can be confident tha the change in the
independent variable caused the change in the dependent, target variable
(because you limited the potential effect of other, potentially causal variables).
Study Questions:
1) Define biology and science.
2) How do correlation and causality differ? Relate this to the difference between
observations and good experiments (and the use of controls).
3) Why must hypotheses be falsifiable to be scientific?
This is almost a circular application of the definition of science. If a statement is
not falsifiable with data from the physical world, then it is not answerable using
the tools of science. As such, it is not a ‘scientific’ question.
Study Questions:
1) Define biology and science.
2) How do correlation and causality differ? Relate this to the difference between
observations and good experiments (and the use of controls).
3) Why must hypotheses be falsifiable to be scientific?
4) If statistics determine the probability that chance caused a pattern, how are
they used in science to determine whether that pattern was caused by the
independent variable? (from lab).
If chance causes a pattern, then it is wrong to attribute that pattern to the causal
effects of your independent variable. With statistics, we measure the probability
that chance caused the pattern. If this probability is high, then it is ‘dangerous’ to
concluded that your independent variable caused the pattern (because the
chance that you are wrong in reaching this conclusion is high). If the probability
that chance caused the pattern is low, then you can be more confident that you
manipulated independent variable was responsible for the pattern. Usually, you
want to be at least 95% sure that, if you say there is a causal relationship, you are
right. This means that you would only make this claim if the probability that
chance could have caused the pattern is less than 5% (p < 0.05).
Study Questions:
1) Define biology and science.
2) How do correlation and causality differ? Relate this to the difference between
observations and good experiments (and the use of controls).
3) Why must hypotheses be falsifiable to be scientific?
4) If statistics determine the probability that chance caused a pattern, how are
they used in science to determine whether that pattern was caused by the
independent variable? (from lab).
5) How is the term 'theory' use in science? How is it misused by the public?
In science, proper use of the term “Theory” refers to a tested explanatory model
of how the physical universe works. In common parlance, “theory” is often used
to suggest an untested statement… “oh, that’s just a theory.” Science has a
different word for an untested statement … “hypothesis”.
Critics of science – particularly critics of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ , ‘Evolutionary
Theory’ or the ‘Theory of Climate Change’ often exploit this ambiguity by saying
that these are just theories.
Study Questions:
1) Define biology and science.
2) How do correlation and causality differ? Relate this to the difference between
observations and good experiments (and the use of controls).
3) Why must hypotheses be falsifiable to be scientific?
4) If statistics determine the probability that chance caused a pattern, how are
they used in science to determine whether that pattern was caused by the
independent variable? (from lab).
5) How is the term 'theory' use in science? How is it misused by the public?
6) Describe why scientific creationism and "intelligent design" are not scientific
ideas.
Proponents of these ideas say that the complexity of living systems could not
have occurred by natural processes, and that a conscious, supernatural designer
must be responsible; creating life by supernatural means. Well, we can’t test the
existence of supernatural agents, and no data from the physical world can be
used to prove or disprove the existence of a supernatural designer, so that is an
untestable, unscientific premise. Thus, the entire idea, that depends on this
assumption is ultimately untestable by science (and so is not ‘scientific’).
Study Questions:
1) Define biology and science.
2) How do correlation and causality differ? Relate this to the difference between
observations and good experiments (and the use of controls).
3) Why must hypotheses be falsifiable to be scientific?
4) If statistics determine the probability that chance caused a pattern, how are
they used in science to determine whether that pattern was caused by the
independent variable? (from lab).
5) How is the term 'theory' use in science? How is it misused by the public?
6) Describe why scientific creationism and "intelligent design" are not scientific
ideas.
7) Describe the two limitations of science.
- science is limited to studying the physical causes of physical phenomena.
- science is limited methodologically, to the manipulation of physical variables.
Study Questions:
1) Define biology and science.
2) How do correlation and causality differ? Relate this to the difference between
observations and good experiments (and the use of controls).
3) Why must hypotheses be falsifiable to be scientific?
4) If statistics determine the probability that chance caused a pattern, how are
they used in science to determine whether that pattern was caused by the
independent variable? (from lab).
5) How is the term 'theory' use in science? How is it misused by the public?
6) Describe why scientific creationism and "intelligent design" are not scientific
ideas.
7) Describe the two limitations of science.
8) Explain reductionism.
We can learn about a complex system by defining its component parts
(subsystems) and figuring out how they work. However, a complex system is
more than the ‘additive’ sum of its parts, because when the subsystems are
working together within the system, they may interact and be able to do new
things together that they couldn’t do separately. These are ‘emergent properties’
that are unpredictable by reductionism, alone.
Study Questions:
1) Define biology and science.
2) How do correlation and causality differ? Relate this to the difference between
observations and good experiments (and the use of controls).
3) Why must hypotheses be falsifiable to be scientific?
4) If statistics determine the probability that chance caused a pattern, how are
they used in science to determine whether that pattern was caused by the
independent variable? (from lab).
5) How is the term 'theory' use in science? How is it misused by the public?
6) Describe why scientific creationism and "intelligent design" are not scientific
ideas.
7) Describe the two limitations of science.
8) Explain reductionism.
9) Why is the comparative method so useful in biology? Why should we expect
things to be similar?
The comparative method is so useful because all organisms are similar to one
another to varying degrees – so the comparative method should work. This
similarity occurs because all organisms are related to one another by varying
degrees of common ancestry. This has allowed us to use other animals as model
systems for how human genes, cells, and physiological systems work.
Study Questions:
10)Place these entities in their correct order, from small to large: molecule, atom,
cell, organelle, organ, organism
Atom – molecule – organelle – cell – organ – organism.
Now obviously, above the molecular level, this only applies for single organisms.
The cells/organs of some organisms are actually LARGER than some other
multicellular organisms with their own cells and organs. So, many worms are
parasites of larger animals, and infect single organs like the stomach, intestine,
muscles, or bloodstream. In addition, bacteria are single cells that are smaller
than some organelles in eukaryotic cells.
Study Questions:
10)Place these entities in their correct order, from small to large: molecule, atom,
cell, organelle, organ, organism
11) What two types of reproduction do many living systems perform?
“Asexual” reproduction means the production of new cells that have the same
genes as the original cell. Multicellular organisms, like plants, fungi, and animals,
are doing this all the time to grow and also to replace damaged cells.
“Sexual” reproduction means the production of a new set of genes… this can
involve the production of a new cell, too (like when a sperm and egg fuse), or not.
Many bacteria exchange genes. This is a type of sex because it creates new
combinations of genes, but no new cells are produced.
Study Questions:
10)Place these entities in their correct order, from small to large: molecule, atom,
cell, organelle, organ, organism
11) What two types of reproduction do many living systems perform?
12) Why are living systems dependent on energy transformations? Explain in the
context of the two laws of thermodynamics.
To be alive means to make things; if just to replace what is naturally breaking
down over time. This requires that living things take in energy and matter as a
source for the material and energy they need to make things, because things
can’t be just CREATED out of nothing. However, the matter in the universe is not
always in the forms that are needed by living things – so they can’t just absorb
stuff – they have to change it. In addition, they must absorb more than they
ultimately make, because these transformations are not 100% efficient.
Study Questions:
10)Place these entities in their correct order, from small to large: molecule, atom,
cell, organelle, organ, organism
11) What two types of reproduction do many living systems perform?
12) Why are living systems dependent on energy transformations? Explain in the
context of the two laws of thermodynamics.
13) Distinguish between three types of response, making sure to describe the
biological scale at which these responses occur.
Within an organism, organs systems respond physiologically to changes in other
subsystems and changes in the environment. So, during puberty, the skeletal
system responds to hormones secreted by the endocrine system. Organisms can
respond to the environment behaviorally… when you leave this room, you take all
your organ systems with you – it is an organismal response. Finally, As the result
of some organisms dying and others living and reproducing, the characteristics of
a population can change over time. This is an evolutionary response at the
population level; individuals don’t change (they live or die), but the populations
they belong to do.