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Biological Science: BIOL 1003
Dr. David F. Gilmore LSE 418 [email protected] Phone: 972-3263 Office hours: Tuesday & Thursday 9:30-11;
Friday 8:30- 11. And by appointment WEB SITE: www.clt.astate.edu/dgilmore
Lecture Text:
Asking About Life 3rd edition Tobin and Dusheck
The following good advice slides courtesy of Dr. Diane Gilmore
Cramming is a sure path to failure ! Read ahead Attend class and pay attention!! Review within 24 hours Study a little at a time Study often “Do something” with the material : make
flashcards, draw diagrams, make up songs.
Come out of your shell and ask questions!
“Ferret” out the information to the study guide.
Find a “Study Buddy” !
Think! Don’t just “parrot” back the information!
Where to look for help
Use the study guides and on line helps Tutoring center LSE 203 Form a study group Counseling center Disability Services Ask your teacher !
Classroom Etiquette
Turn off pagers and cell phones !
No tobacco use of any kind
Be considerate of others:Take out what you bring in.
Talk to me, NOT your neighbor!
Do not ask for grades over the phone or internet.
Academic Integrity Use Professional ethics NO:
Plagiarism Cheating Allowing others to copy from you
Penalties can be severe !!
Why are you here? (no not in the cosmic sense, in this class) Biology recognized as a fundamental
disciplineA subject by which you can learn about
science1800s were the Age of Chemistry; 1900s were
the age of Physics; 21st Century: the Age of Biology
You are Immersed in Biology; You ARE Biology in a biological world Outside: trees, grass, birds, bugs
How do they all stay alive and in balance? You are an amazing biological machine
Complex organ systems maintain functionYou are host to millions of bacteria &viruses
Understanding these things keeps us aliveSewage treatment responsible for long life
Biology is in the news constantly
Disease outbreaks Stem cell research Cloning Drug lawsuits How do we evaluate and understand these
issues? Only with an understanding of Biology.
Biology is the Science of Life
Knowledge of biology is obtained using the scientific methodThis applies to our current body of knowledge
and the knowledge we are currently gathering The scientific method is used in Chemistry,
physics, and in day to day life.
What is Science?
• Science is a method of obtaining information about nature.
• Scientists use a technique called the scientific method to gather information and test ideas.
Hypothesisrejected
Experimental Plan
Hypothesis a plausible explanation
Hypothesissupported
A Question
A Natural Phenomena
Experiment With control group
Comparison
Predicted result
To test the hypothesis
Simplistic Form of Scientific Inquiry
Observation
Of predicted and actual results
Conclusion
What is Science?
• Science is a method of obtaining information about nature.
• Scientists use a technique called the scientific method to gather information and test ideas.
• Hypothesis – a possible answer to a question based on observations and research - reasonable explanation for observed events
• Hypothesis must be testable.
A control
• Most Experiments require what is called a control
• The Control forms the basis of comparison to what is being tested.– Without the comparison, no conclusion can be
reached.– When the TV commercial shouts “50% more!”,
you should ask “more than what?”
Weasel CommercialsKendall Motor Oil
Piston rings made of gold (a soft metal) and used in a car with Kendall Motor Oil. After a certain number of miles, piston rings examined: they look great! What’s wrong with this “experiment”?
No Control! Other brand of motor oil would have same results! So BIG DEAL.
What is a Theory?
• A theory explains some aspect of nature and is supported by experimentation and observation.
• Theories explain and predict.
Scientific TheoriesThe Atomic Theory
Kinetic Molecular Theory of Matter
The Germ Theory of Disease
The Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection
Theory of Relativity
Statistics: a powerful tool
One positive result could be a coincidence E.g. Cold fusion
Multiple replications of an experiment, using large numbers of samples, allow statistical analysis to be used Increases the reliability of the conclusions
Causation and Correlation
Causation: cause and effect Apply an electric current to a muscle,
it contracts. Repeat: get same result every time. One thing causes the other.
In causation, a likely explanation usually accompanies the observation.
Causation and Correlation
Older woman taking estrogen replacement therapy: at greater risk of cancer: Correlation Large numbers of individuals analyzed for
greater than normal occurrences of side-effects.
No evidence that one directly causes the other. Cigarette smoking not “proved” to cause
cancer.
Philosophies of science: reductionism and emergent properties
Reductionism: the attempt to explain something by taking it apart and studying the compenents. Molecular biology: the attempt to explain
all of nature by studying the DNA. Emergent Properties: the whole greater
than the sum of the parts The whole has properties not predicted by
looking at the parts. Ecology. Behavior.