Thinking Like a Biologist

Objectives

  • Understand goals of basic and applied science

  • Identify characteristics of natural sciences

  • Summarize steps of the scientific method

  • Compare inductive and deductive reasoning

Nature of Biology

  • Life shows immense diversity; early life was microorganisms

  • Plants and animals emerged 130-250 million years ago

  • Human genus Homo appeared 2.5 million years ago, modern humans 300,000 years ago

Scientific Method

  • Science seeks knowledge through the scientific method

  • Involves experimentation, observation, analysis of results

  • A hypothesis is a testable explanation

  • Theory: Tested and confirmed explanation for observations

Types of Science

  • Natural sciences: Astronomy, biology, geology, physics, chemistry

  • Life sciences (biology) vs. physical sciences (physics, chemistry, astronomy)

Scientific Reasoning

  • Inductive reasoning: Draws general conclusions from observations (e.g., brain imaging studies)

  • Deductive reasoning: Applies general principles to predict specific results

Scientific Method Steps

  1. Make an observation

  2. Formulate a question

  3. Develop a hypothesis

  4. Make predictions

  5. Conduct experiments

  6. Analyze results

Basic vs. Applied Science

  • Basic science: Expands knowledge, often seen as "useless"

  • Applied science: Solves real-world problems, relies on basic science

Reporting Scientific Work

  • Peer review ensures originality and significance

  • Structure: Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion

Scientific Ethics

  • Prevent harm, avoid bias, ensure ethical considerations

  • Historical ethical violations: Tuskegee study, Henrietta Lacks

  • Regulations: Animal Welfare Act, IACUC guidelines

Summary

  • Biology studies life; science uses inductive/deductive reasoning

  • Scientific method: observe, hypothesize, test, conclude

  • Ethical framework guides scientific practices