Biological Science: BIOL 1003
Dr. David F. Gilmore
LSE 418
 dgilmore@astate.edu
 Phone: 972-3263
 Office hours: Tuesday & Thursday 9:30-11;
Friday 8:30- 11.
 And by appointment
 WEB SITE: www.clt.astate.edu/dgilmore

Lecture Text:
Asking About Life
 3rd edition
 Tobin and Dusheck

The following good advice slides courtesy of
Dr. Diane Gilmore
Cramming is a sure path to failure !
Read ahead
 Attend class and pay attention!!
 Review within 24 hours
 Study a little at a time
 Study often
 “Do something” with the material : make
flashcards, draw diagrams, make up
songs.

Come out of your shell and ask
questions!
“Ferret” out the information to the
study guide.
Find a “Study Buddy” !
Think! Don’t just “parrot” back the
information!
Where to look for help
Use the study guides and on line helps
 Tutoring center LSE 203
 Form a study group
 Counseling center
 Disability Services
 Ask your teacher !

Classroom Etiquette
Turn off pagers and cell phones !
No tobacco use of any kind
Be considerate of others:
Take out what you bring in.
Talk to me, NOT your neighbor!
Do not ask for grades over the
phone or internet.
Academic Integrity
Use Professional ethics
 NO:

 Plagiarism
 Cheating
 Allowing

others to copy from you
Penalties can be severe !!
Why are you here? (no not in the
cosmic sense, in this class)

Biology recognized as a fundamental
discipline
 A subject
by which you can learn about
science
 1800s were the Age of Chemistry; 1900s were
the age of Physics; 21st Century: the Age of
Biology
You are Immersed in Biology; You
ARE Biology in a biological world

Outside: trees, grass, birds, bugs
 How

do they all stay alive and in balance?
You are an amazing biological machine
 Complex
organ systems maintain function
 You are host to millions of bacteria &viruses

Understanding these things keeps us alive
 Sewage
treatment responsible for long life
Biology is in the news constantly
Disease outbreaks
 Stem cell research
 Cloning
 Drug lawsuits
 How do we evaluate and understand these
issues? Only with an understanding of
Biology.

Biology is the Science of Life

Knowledge of biology is obtained using the
scientific method
 This
applies to our current body of knowledge
and the knowledge we are currently gathering

The scientific method is used in Chemistry,
physics, and in day to day life.
What is Science?
• Science is a method of obtaining information
about nature.
• Scientists use a technique called the scientific
method to gather information and test ideas.
Simplistic
Form of
Scientific
Inquiry
A Natural
Phenomena
Observation
A Question
Hypothesis
a plausible explanation
Experimental
Plan
To test the hypothesis
Predicted
result
Hypothesis
rejected
Experiment
Comparison
Hypothesis
supported
Conclusion
With control group
Of predicted and
actual results
What is Science?
• Science is a method of obtaining information
about nature.
• Scientists use a technique called the scientific
method to gather information and test ideas.
• Hypothesis – a possible answer to a question
based on observations and research
- reasonable explanation for observed events
• Hypothesis must be testable.
A control
• Most Experiments require what is called a
control
• The Control forms the basis of comparison
to what is being tested.
– Without the comparison, no conclusion can be
reached.
– When the TV commercial shouts “50% more!”,
you should ask “more than what?”
Weasel Commercials
Kendall Motor Oil
Piston rings made of gold (a
soft metal) and used in a car
with Kendall Motor Oil. After a
certain number of miles,
piston rings examined: they
look great! What’s wrong with
this “experiment”?
No Control! Other brand of
motor oil would have same
results! So BIG DEAL.
What is a Theory?
• A theory explains some aspect of nature and is
supported by experimentation and observation.
• Theories explain and predict.
Scientific Theories
The Atomic Theory
Kinetic Molecular Theory of Matter
The Germ Theory of Disease
The Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection
Theory of Relativity
Statistics: a powerful tool

One positive result could be a
coincidence


E.g. Cold fusion
Multiple replications of an experiment,
using large numbers of samples, allow
statistical analysis to be used

Increases the reliability of the conclusions
Causation and Correlation

Causation: cause and effect


Apply an electric current to a muscle, it
contracts. Repeat: get same result every
time. One thing causes the other.
In causation, a likely explanation usually
accompanies the observation.
Causation and Correlation

Older woman taking estrogen replacement
therapy: at greater risk of cancer:
Correlation



Large numbers of individuals analyzed for
greater than normal occurrences of side-effects.
No evidence that one directly causes the other.
Cigarette smoking not “proved” to cause
cancer.
Philosophies of science: reductionism
and emergent properties

Reductionism: the attempt to explain
something by taking it apart and studying
the compenents.


Molecular biology: the attempt to explain all of
nature by studying the DNA.
Emergent Properties: the whole greater than
the sum of the parts

The whole has properties not predicted by
looking at the parts. Ecology. Behavior.