Biology Lecture: Mechanism of How Things Work and The Nature of Science

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the biology lecture notes on how science explains the world, major milestones, and basic reasoning.

Provisional interpretation

A tentative explanation of what we know about the world, open to revision with new evidence.

Heliocentrism

The view that the center of the solar system is the Sun, not the Earth.

Telescope

An instrument that gathers light to make distant objects visible, expanding our view of the cosmos.

Microscope

An instrument that enlarges tiny objects to reveal microorganisms and the micro world.

Foundations of chemistry

Early development of chemistry as a science, enabling advances in public health and industry.

Statistics

A branch of mathematics used to collect, analyze, and interpret data; a key tool in chemistry and public health.

Hubble Space Telescope

A space telescope that lets astronomers observe distant objects and the edge of the observable universe.

Exoplanets

Planets that orbit stars outside our solar system.

Human genome

The complete sequence of the human DNA, consisting of about 20,000 genes.

Gene

The basic unit of hereditary information that encodes a function.

Biology

The science of life; collecting observations, applying reason, and understanding living systems.

Physics

The physical science that studies matter and energy.

Chemistry

The science of substances, their properties, and the changes they undergo.

Empiricism

Knowledge derived from sensory experience and observation.

Generalizability

The extent to which findings from one context apply to other contexts or populations.

Deductive reasoning

Reasoning from general principles to specific conclusions.

Inductive reasoning

Reasoning from specific observations to general conclusions.

Hypothesis

A proposed, testable explanation or answer to a question.

Prediction

A testable statement about what will happen if the hypothesis is true.

Experiment

A controlled procedure to test a hypothesis and gather evidence.

Theory

A well-substantiated explanation that unifies a broad range of observations and makes testable predictions.

Proved vs supported

In science, a hypothesis is not proven; it is supported or refuted by evidence.