SHORT Week 1 - Science and the Scientific Method

What is science?

Science is the process of describing the material universe through repeatable observations and hypothesis testing.

What is pseudoscience?

An endeavor that does not follow the scientific method.

What are the two main pillars of science?

The scientific method and publication/peer review.

What is the scientific method?

A process of using observations, hypotheses, testing, and evidence to understand the natural world.

What is a hypothesis?

An idea or proposition whose truth or falsehood is not initially known; a statement of pattern.

What is a theory?

A universal explanation for a set of observations and hypotheses, generally describing a process.

What is the difference between a hypothesis and a theory?

A hypothesis is a testable idea or pattern; a theory is a broad explanation supported by evidence.

Do hypotheses become theories?

No. Hypotheses do not "become" theories.

What does falsifiable mean?

A hypothesis is falsifiable if there is some possible evidence that could show it is false.

Can a hypothesis be proven?

No. It can be supported or corroborated, but not proven.

What is corroboration?

An increased amount of information supporting a theory.

What is consilience?

An increased diversity of sources of information supporting a theory.

What is a paradigm shift?

A major change in the accepted scientific explanation or framework due to new evidence.

What can cause a paradigm shift?

A simpler explanation or increasing observations that are inconsistent with the existing theory.

What is parsimony?

Choosing the simplest explanation that adequately explains the evidence.

What is the Scala Naturae?

The "Great Chain of Being," a hierarchical view of organisms.

How did the Scala Naturae affect early dinosaur research?

It influenced scientists to view organisms as existing in a hierarchy and affected how dinosaurs were interpreted.

Who was Georges Cuvier and what did he contribute?

He helped establish the reality of extinction.

Who was Richard Owen and what did he contribute?

He established the group Dinosauria in 1842.

What is Dinosauria?

The group established by Richard Owen to classify dinosaurs.

What were the Bone Wars?

A rivalry between paleontologists Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh over fossil discoveries.

Who was involved in the Bone Wars?

Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh.

Who was Roy Chapman Andrews?

A paleontologist who led the Central Asiatic Expeditions in the Gobi region.

What did Roy Chapman Andrews' expeditions discover?

Important dinosaur fossils, including dinosaur eggs and nests.

Who was John Ostrom?

A paleontologist whose work on Deinonychus helped start the Dinosaur Renaissance.

What was the Dinosaur Renaissance?

A major change/revival in dinosaur research and thinking that occurred around 1970–1985.

How did Deinonychus contribute to the Dinosaur Renaissance?

John Ostrom's research showed important similarities between dinosaurs and birds and supported the idea that dinosaurs were active, energetic animals.

What did John Ostrom conclude about birds and dinosaurs?

He concluded that birds descended from dinosaurs.

When did the Dinosaur Renaissance occur?

Approximately 1970–1985.

What are some ongoing advances in dinosaur research?

New fossil discoveries, studies of dinosaur behavior and biology, feather discoveries, improved evolutionary methods, and new technologies for studying fossils.

In scientific parlance, what is a hypothesis (really)

A falsifiable statement of process