PART 1   The Facts of Life

1  •  Scientific Thinking 1

Your best pathway to understanding the world

More than just a collection of facts, science is a process for understanding the world. 2

1.1

What is science? What is biology? 2

1.2

Biological literacy is essential in the modern world. 4

1.3

Scientific thinking is a powerful approach to understanding the world. 5

A beginner’s guide: what are the steps of the scientific method? 7

1.4

Thinking like a scientist: how do you use the scientific method? 7

1.5

Step 1: Make observations. 8

1.6

Step 2: Formulate a hypothesis. 9

1.7

Step 3: Devise a testable prediction. 10

1.8

Step 4: Conduct a critical experiment. 11

1.9

Step 5: Draw conclusions, make revisions. 13

1.10

When do hypotheses become theories, and what are theories? 15

Well-designed experiments are essential to testing hypotheses. 16

1.11

Controlling variables makes experiments more powerful. 16

1.12

This is how we do it: Is arthroscopic surgery for arthritis of the knee beneficial? 19

1.13

Repeatable experiments increase our confidence. 21

1.14

We’ve got to watch out for our biases. 22

Scientific thinking can help us make wise decisions. 23

1.15

Visual displays of data can help us understand and explain phenomena. 23

1.16

Statistics can help us in making decisions. 25

1.17

Pseudoscience and misleading anecdotal evidence can obscure the truth. 27

1.18

There are limits to what science can do. 29

On the road to biological literacy: what are the major themes in biology? 31

1.19

What is life? Important themes unify and connect diverse topics in biology. 31

StreetBIO: KNOWLEDGE YOU CAN USE

Rainy days and Mondays. 32