InQuizitive Chapter 1: The nature of science and the characteristics of life.

True or False- Science consists solely of knowledge about the natural world.

False

In an experimental design, the group that is maintained at a standard, baseline level with no manipulation is the _______ (1) group, while the other group that is manipulated is known as the _______ (2) group.

(1) Control

(2) Treatment

Which of the following statements is correct about a scientific theory? And what is incorrect?

Correct: - It is an explanation for a phenomenon in the natural world that has been extensively confirmed.

Incorrect: - It is a description of a belief that invokes the supernatural.

- It is a concept or idea in its early stages that still needs to be tested.

- It is an idea that has been proven.

The term that means "the scientific study of life" is ___________.

Biology

Which of the following statements are true with respect to the testing of hypotheses? What is incorrect?

Correct: - Evidence produced by one or more researchers must be replicable by other researchers under the same conditions before it will be considered viable.

- Observational and/or experimental evidence is obtained objectively.

- Evidence generated by observations and/or experiments must be reviewed by peers before it will be accepted.

Which of the following is/are not true of living systems?

They are always composed of many cells.

In scientific thinking, descriptions, measurements, or records of any phenomena are all examples of ______.

Observations

In the simplest experimental design, a scientist will manipulate a variable called the _______ (1) variable and then check to see whether a second variable, called the _______ (2) variable, also changes as a consequence.

(1) Independent

(2) Dependent

Which of the following could be considered to be a hallmark of a scientific theory?

Could be a Hallmark of a Scientific Theory:

Its explanatory power.

The ability to extend the theory to make predictions.

The theory of biological evolution is the unifying _____ (1) for the biological sciences. The mechanism for biological evolution is called ______ (2), which leads to advantageous traits known as ______ (3). This mechanism results in changes in the overall ______ (4) composition of _______ (5).

(1) Theory

(2) Natural Selection

(3) Adaptations

(4) Genetic

(5) Populations

When one studies living things, a distinct hierarchy of structural organization emerges. Place these levels in order from smallest to largest (most basic to most encompassing).

Atoms, Biomolecules, Cells, Tissues, Organs, Organ Systems, Individual, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biomes, Biosphere.

Which of the following best describes the definition of science?

A body of knowledge and a particular way of learning about the natural world.

Living things that harvest energy from non-living components of their environment are known as _____ (1) or producers. Some living things, such as plants, are able to harvest _____ (2) and use it in the biochemical pathway called _____ (3).

(1) Autotrophs

(2) Light energy

(3) Photosynthesis

The extension of science to practical applications, such as cell phones, is ______.

Technology

True or False- A theory in science is a speculative idea and is based on little or no evidence.

False

True or False- Our modern definition for biological evolution is a change in the genetic characteristics of an individual over generations.

False

Which of the following is a common objective of the scientific method?

Determine whether there is a relationship between variables.

Which of the following is a correct statement about the way in which new things can be learned about the natural world, in a fashion historically called the "scientific method?"

The scientific method can be applied across many disciplines, ranging from forensics to psychology.99999

Any direct and repeatable observation of the natural world should be considered to be a _____.

Scientific fact

Science is one of the most democratic human endeavors, because it is not "owned" or controlled by any individual or group. Moreover, anyone can participate. Research projects that non-scientists can participate in, fall under which umbrella?

Citizen science

The process by which scientists learn new things is often referred to as the "scientific method." Which of the following does not accurately describe the scientific method?

A very specific set of steps that scientist must follow, to the letter.

What is the role of the control treatment in an experimental design?

Provides a basis of comparison to the experimental group.

The master hereditary molecule that is used to transmit genetic information from one generation to the next is abbreviated as _____.

DNA

True or False- The only way in which hypotheses can be tested is by designing and conducting an experiment.

False

A _____ (1) is a direct and repeatable observation about some aspect of the natural world. A _____(2) is a well-tested explanation about some phenomenon observed in the natural world that has been confirmed in many different ways. A _____ (3) is one of several untested explanations of a phenomenon observed in the natural world.

(1) Scientific fact

(2) Scientific theory

(3) Scientific hypothesis

A scientific _____ (1) is a tentative answer or ______ (2) that provides an explanation for a(n) _____ (3) about the natural world.

(1) hypothesis

(2) educated guess

(3) observation

Which of the following hypotheses would be useful in science? Or not?

Useful: - A virus is responsible for causing the disease we call influenza.

- Some plant tissues contain a pigment causing them to appear green to us.

Un useful: - Dogs are happy when you feed them steak.

- Evolution results from the intervention of a creator in the development of organisms.

Which of the following are characteristics shared by all living things, a fact that supports the conclusion of common ancestry? Or not?

Correct: - Use DNA as the hereditary molecule

- Can collect and respond to sensory information

- Harvest energy from their environments

Incorrect: - Can photosynthesize

- Are made of many cells

- Remain the same over many generations

Whether scientists use observation or experimentation or both, the most important outcome that forms the basis for conclusions is _____.

Evidence

Match these terms of experimental design to their definitions.

1. The variable that the researcher deliberately manipulates.

2. The group that is maintained at a standard value.

3. The variable that the researcher measures as an outcome.

4. The group that is manipulated.

1. Independent

2. Control

3. Dependent

4. Treatment

True or False- A scientific fact is more important than a scientific theory.

False

What is the germ theory of disease?

The premise that some diseases are caused by microbes.

A common starting point for scientists who seek to learn new things is a(n) _____.

Observation

When scientists set out to determine if a relationship exists between two variables, it is important to know how far the resulting conclusions can be taken.

When two variables appear to be related such that when the values of one variable go up, the values of the other variable also go up (or down), we can say that we have established _____ (1) When it can be shown that a change in one variable produces a change in the other, we can say that we have established _____(2).

(1) Correlation

(2) Causation

The intersection of science and society includes issues that will require both an understanding of science and a healthy conversation about what to do about them. Such issues include:

- the question of whether or not we should use DNA technology to bring back extinct species

- confidentiality relative to the results of genetic testing

- the value of research on stem cells

If you eat a cheeseburger for breakfast, the hamburger patty you eat mainly consists of ground-up muscle from cattle. What levels of organization below that of muscle are represented in this ground-up material?

Macromolecule, Cell, and Tissue

Living things that harvest energy from living components of their environment are known as _____ (1), or consumers. These organisms harvest energy from either _____ (2) or other _____ (3)

(1) Heterotrophs

(2) Producers

(3) Consumers

Which of the following would be considered a scientific fact?

Correct: - The temperature at which water boils under average conditions at sea level is 100 degrees C.

Incorrect: - Frogs have been seen crawling out of the mud, so therefore frogs develop from mud.

- Because some species of snakes have been observed to migrate, we can conclude that all species of snakes migrate.

- Some religious groups maintain that the Earth is less than 10,000 years old; therefore, the Earth is less than 10,000 years old.

Researchers testing new drugs use a research design where they give the drug to one group of people and give placebos, usually sugar pills, to a second group. Which of the following describes the group receiving the sugar pills?

They are the control group.

The way in which scientists view their surroundings could be called "scientific thinking." Scientific thinking is?

Correct: - based upon evidence.

- a logical format for answering questions and solving problems.

-as objective as is possible.

Incorrect: - based upon faith.

-invokes the supernatural to explain what we don't understand.