Scientific Attitudes

• Curiosity and Inquisitiveness

     Example:  Wondering what animals live in the Bosque.
• Skepticism (Wanting to see evidence)
• Open-Mindedness (Willing to accept plausible new ideas)
• Creativity—And an ability to postulate new explanations
• Honesty—And a willingness to recognize & admit error

Practical Problems
Sometimes practical problems provide ideas for scientific investigation & research.

Example:
     Pollution of the world’s oceans by plastic that does not decompose

The Role of Technology
Technology, science, & society are closely linked.

Example:
Night vision and motion activated cameras
? scientists have learned about the nocturnal behavior of forest animals such as bears & raccoons.

Communicating Results:
Reviewing & Sharing Ideas

What is Peer Review?
Scientists sharing results of experiments with scientific community—publishing papers that have undergone peer review—work & results reviewed by anonymous, independent experts.

Publishing peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals allows researchers to share ideas as well as test and evaluate each others work.

Sharing Knowledge & New Ideas
Published research sparks ideas & causes discussions:
Suppose you discover there are porcupines in the Bosque.  You wonder if they are endangered.

Where do ideas in science come from?
 

REVIEW & DO NOW Answer the following questions:
What are some examples of “scientific attitudes”?	Why is peer review necessary?

Scientific Theories

What is a Scientific Theory?

Theory
A well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations and hypotheses and that enables scientists to make accurate predictions about the world and new situations that arise.
 

• Theories may change or be refined over time as new evidence is developed or be replaced by a more useful and exact explanation

When is a Theory Proven?
Theories can never be proven, only disproved.
A theory that fits all available facts better and predicts future behavior more accurately is accepted—
until it can be proven false or verified by direct observation to be a fact.

Science and Society

• Using science involves understanding its context in society and its limitations

Science, Ethics, and Morality
Explanations for “why” something happens involves only natural phenomena—not ethical or moral viewpoints:

Biologists explain what life is, how living things operate, and how life has changed over time
—questions such as “why does life exist?” or “what is the meaning of life?” are not scientific questions.

Avoiding Bias
The way science is applied in society can be affected by bias.

Bias
A particular preference or point of view that is personal, rather than scientific.

Science must be objective, and go where the facts and the evidence leads, regardless of our personal beliefs, no matter how deeply held.

Science is not a matter of belief—it is true whether you believe it or not.
 

Scientists must

• accept experimental findings even when they wish they were different

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• distinguish between what they see and what they wish to see

.
• be aware that others want to fool you

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• be aware of your tendency to fool yourself.

People have cultures, rules, beliefs, creeds, ideas, and hypotheses without questioning whether or not they are true—
They retain these beliefs long after they have been shown to be meaningless, false, or at least questionable.

What is the Scientific Attitude?
 

REVIEW & DO NOW Answer the following questions:
Explain how a willingness to recognize and admit error is a necessary quality for a scientist to have.	What is bias?