The Nature of Science (Vocabulary Flashcards)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the lecture notes on the nature of science.

Science

The process of gaining knowledge about the universe through observation, posing questions, and experimentation; a fact-driven, demonstrated understanding rather than merely asserted.

Scientific question

A question that can be tested or measured through observation or experimentation.

Theory

A general explanation for a broad class of phenomena or observations, supported by a large body of evidence.

Hypothesis

A testable statement designed to explain a phenomenon or observation.

Prediction

A measurable or observable result that should occur if a hypothesis is valid.

Geocentric model

Ancient Greek model in which the Earth is the center of the universe and other objects appear to revolve around it.

Heliocentric model

Sun-centered solar system model developed by Copernicus; a fully predictive mathematical description of planetary motions.

Heliocentrism

The view that the Sun is at the center of the solar system.

Plate tectonics

Theory that Earth's lithosphere is divided into moving plates; built from Wegener’s continental drift idea (1912) and refined in the 1960s.

Evolution by natural selection

Darwin's theory that species evolve through differential survival and reproduction.

Oxygen theory of combustion

Antoine Lavoisier’s 1770s theory that combustion involves reaction with oxygen.

Relativity

Einstein’s theories (1905–1915) describing the relationship between space, time, and energy (special and general relativity).

Testable

Capable of being tested by experiments or observations.

Falsifiable

Able to be disproven by evidence.

Measurable

Able to be quantified or measured.

Reproducible

Experiments or observations that can be repeated with consistent results.

Objective

Unbiased and based on evidence and observed data.

Hypothesis refinement

New evidence can lead to refining, revising, or replacing a hypothesis.

Scientific method

Structured process: formulate a hypothesis, design experiments or observations with replicates and controls, test, and interpret results.

Replicates

Repeated measurements or experiments used to assess variability and reliability.

Controls

Experimental conditions that do not receive the manipulation, used for comparison.

Observational study

Study with no explicit experimental manipulation; relies on careful observation and often statistical controls.

Experiment

A controlled test that manipulates variables to test a hypothesis.

Batesian mimicry

Harmless species mimics a harmful one to gain protection from predators.

Coral snake

Venomous snake used in Batesian mimicry demonstrations.

King snake

Non-venomous snake used in Batesian mimicry demonstrations.

Prion

Infectious misfolded protein that is resistant to breakdown and can propagate by inducing misfolding in similar proteins.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)

A fatal prion disease affecting cervids (deer, elk, moose) transmitted through body fluids.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Human prion disease similar to other prion diseases; rare and typically not contagious to the general public.

Virus

Non-cellular infectious agent composed of genetic material (DNA or RNA) enclosed in a protein coat; requires a host cell to replicate.

Cell

The basic unit of life; the smallest unit that can carry out all life processes.

Cell theory

The idea that all living things are composed of cells and that cells are the basic unit of structure and function in organisms.

Life (definition)

A debated concept with criteria such as energy use, response to environment, growth, reproduction, and evolution; no single universally agreed-upon definition.

Unsettled questions in science

Topics in biology without universally agreed definitions or answers, such as the precise definitions of species and life.