Transcript The Scientific Process

The Scientific Process
Unit Vocabulary
Word
Definition
Example
Observation
Using the senses to
study the natural
world.
Darwin drew
pictures of finches
in a journal before
he made any
scientific gain.
Hypothesis
A testable idea or
explanation that
leads to a scientific
investigation
If phosphate fertilizer
from a lawn is washing
into the river then the
dwarf wedge mussels
will die when exposed
to high levels of
phosphate in their
water.
Word
Definition
Example
Prediction
A logical statement
about what will
happen if the
hypothesis is correct.
Mussels will die when
exposed to high levels
of phosphate in the
water.
Experiment
Procedure designed to
test a hypothesis
under controlled
conditions.
Testing the phosphate
levels in the water.
Variable
A factor, trait, or
condition that can be
changed.
Independent,
dependent, and
control
Independent
Variable
*ON X-AXIS
The variable that is
manipulated or
changed by the
experimenter.
The level of phosphate
in the water.
Word
Definition
Example
Dependent Variable
*ON Y-AXIS
The effect / results /
data.
*WHAT IS MEASURED
The number of
mussels that survived
versus died.
Control Variable
The variable that is
unchanged.
Same temperature.
Experimental
Group
The group that
receives the
experimental
treatment.
The mussels that
receive the phosphate
in their water.
Control Group
Does not receive any
experimental treatment.
*MOST NORMAL
CONDITIONS
The mussels living in
the water with no
additional phosphate.
Word
Data
Definition
Example
Information gathered Quantitative- numbers
during an experiment.
Qualitativedescriptions
Correlation
Associations between
two or more events.
Tree cookie or coral
reef (see notes for
description)
Statistics
Collection and
classification of data
that are in the form of
numbers.
Standard deviation,
Chi- Square, T- score
Mean
The average.
The average length of
a mussels is 30 mm.
Word
Definition
Example
Distribution
The pattern that the
bars create when
viewed as a whole.
Bell curve
Probability
The chance that
something will
happen.
½ or 50% a penny will
land heads up.
Sample
Group of individuals
or events selected to
represent the
population.
The scientists
researched the same
pod of 100 whales
every summer for 10
years.
Theory
Broad explanation for
a wide range of
observations.
Explain why.
Theory of Natural
Selection, the Cell
Theory, the Germ
Theory
Word
Definition
Example
Law
Describes what nature
does under certain
conditions.
Explains what will
happen.
Newton’s Laws of
Motion
Before we begin….
•
•
•
•
What does Biology mean to you?
What does science mean to you?
How do scientists make discoveries?
List the steps of the scientific method
how you remember them.
Answer the
questions
using your
prior
knowledge
How Scientists Observe the
Natural World
• 1. Observational- Typically uses
quantitative and qualitative data.
• 2. Controlled Study- Following the
scientific steps.
• 3. Literary Research
Observational
• http://video.ted.com/talk/podcast/2007/
None/DavidGallo_2007-480p.mp4
Controlled Study
• http://www.ted.com/talks/sara_lewis_th
e_loves_and_lies_of_fireflies
Steps of the Scientific Method
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1. Observation
2. Ask a Question
3. Hypothesis
4. Experimentation
5. Results / Collect Data
6. Analyze and Conclude
7. Repeat
8. Communicate results
1.____________
What you see, hear, taste,
smell, and touch in the
natural world.
2. ______________________
Why is it happening? What does
it mean?
4. ____________
Design a procedure and test
your hypothesis.
3.____________
A testable idea or explanation
that leads to a scientific
investigation.
If and then statement.
5. ____________
Utilize data tables,
mathematical equations,
and graphs to represent the
results collected.
6.____________
Look the data and relay to your audience,
what is actually going on? What happened?
What does the data say?
7.____________
Carry out the experiment again, double
check your research / experiment.
Observation
• Science always begins with an
observation!
• Look at the pictures in the presentation and
make as many observations as you can in five
minutes. What do you see? Remember to use
your senses! Observations can be made
using descriptions, drawings, photographs,
and measurements.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja
&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjL5vTJguTNAhWFGx4KHdM0CK4QjB0IBg&url=http%3A%2F
%2Fwww.wri.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F10%2Fhave-you-heard-coralbleaching&psig=AFQjCNFh277fhxVxUMb5nLzlrbKMuOr6aQ&ust=146807254784672
http://www.psmicrographs.co.uk/humanred-blood-cells-with-a-single-whitecell/science-image/80200668
http://www.ck12.org/book/CK-12Biology-Concepts/section/10.3/
https://www.tes.com/lessons/uSZ5Oewd
USw_jg/symbiosis
Pictures
•
•
•
•
1. Coral bleaching
2. Red blood cells with a white cell
3. Elephants spraying water on zebras
4. Crocodile with a bird- symbiosis
Generate some questions!
• What types of questions can you generate after
looking at the pictures?
• Ask a Question????
• Write two questions about the observations you made
while looking at the picture.
• 1.___________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
• 2.___________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Example we will be building on
throughout this lesson
• The students at Keene High School in
New Hampshire, have observed that
dwarf wedge mussels are disappearing
from the Ashuelot River, near their
school. Other observations the students
have made is that the river looks
polluted.
• Write two questions that the students from
Keene High School may have had after their
observations.
• 1.________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
• 2.________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
Let’s obtain some background
knowledge about the mussels &
pollution first!
• It’s important to research the topic you
are studying, this allows scientists to
understand and brainstorm more
efficiently.
• Could result in generating more ideas
and questions!
• See notes for attachment.
What is pollution or a pollutant?
• Pollution- an undesirable change in the
natural environment that is caused by the
introduction of substances that are
harmful to living organisms or by
excessive wastes, heat, noise, or
radiation.
• Pollutant- substance or condition that
contaminates water, air, or land.
Two types of pollution
Point Source Pollution
• Pollution that comes from a
specific site or a single
source.
• Examples- leaking septic
tank systems, unlined
landfills, water discharged
by industries, public and
industrial wastewater
treatment plants, and
leaking underground
storage tanks that contain
chemicals or fuels such as
gasoline.
Nonpoint Source
Pollution
• Comes from many different
sources that are often
difficult to identify.
• 96% of waters in the US are
polluted by nonpoint
sources.
• Examples- chemicals added
to road surfaces (salt), water
runoff from cities,
pesticides, herbicides,
fertilizers, feces,
precipitation, soil runoff
from farms, and oil / gas
from personal watercrafts.
Point Source Pollution
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/
kits/pollution/media/supp_pol03a.html
https://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/New
Mexico/EC_W_C101_1.cfm
https://www.rivernetwork.org/eventslearning/resources/cwa-course/npdes/
Nonpoint Source Pollution
http://pennsylvaniawatersheds.org/ourwork/nonpoint-source-pollution/
http://www.hillsdalecounty.info/
planningeduc0050.asp
http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outd
oor-activities/water-sports/personalwatercraft3.htm
http://georgiaorganics.org/wpcontent/uploads/2014/04/runoff_deadzo
ne.png
Common pollutants in water
• Nitrogen and Phosphorus are naturally found in
our environment.
• All living things NEED nitrates & phosphates,
they are important nutrients for growth and
development, but TOO much can cause huge
problems- Eutrophication
• Phosphates- many come
Some basicswe will cover
from agricultural fertilizers,
this topic in
greater detail
manure, and organic waste in
in future
sewage
sections!
• Nitrates- many come from runoff
and fertilizers
Writing a Hypothesis!
7 minute video: http://viewpure.com/lqk3TKuGNBA?start=0&end=0
• Hypothesis (If-Then- Because):
• Hypothesis: A testable idea or explanation that leads
to a scientific investigation.
– Based off of many observations.
– Tentative, testable, falsifiable.
• Example: Phosphate fertilizer from a lawn is washing
into the river and killing dwarf wedge mussels.
• Prediction: a logical statement about what will happen
if the hypothesis is correct.
– A prediction is meant to describe what will happen in a
specific situation (experiment).
– Example: Mussels will die when exposed to high levels of
phosphate in their water.
• Do not use the words it, best, or better in your
hypothesis! Try to be as specific as possible.
• Try to avoid personal pronouns such as: you, me, we, I,
etc.
• Choose one of the items you are changing, and be
clear on how it will compare with the other choices.
• If- IV
• Then- DV
• Because- prediction / what you think is going to
happen
How animations help us study
hypotheses!
• http://www.ted.com/talks/janet_iwasa_h
ow_animations_can_help_scientists_test_
a_hypothesis
Turn the question into a
hypothesis!
• Directions: Write a hypothesis for the
question and predict why you think that will
happen.
– Question 1- How does the amount of sunlight
affect the growth of a plant?
– Question 2- How does increased carbon
dioxide affect the acidity of the ocean,
specifically coral reefs?
– Question 3- How does the amount of fertilizer
given to a plant each day (none, required
amount, or too much) affect how fast the plant
will grow in 3 weeks?
Question 1- Volunteer to the board!
• If____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
___________________________________________,
then_________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
because_____________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
____________________________________________.
Question 2- Volunteer to the board!
• If____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
___________________________________________,
then_________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
because_____________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
____________________________________________.
Question 3- Volunteer to the board!
• If____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
___________________________________________,
then_________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
because_____________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
____________________________________________.
Next step: Setting up an
Experiment!
• Experiment- procedure designed to test
a hypothesis under controlled
conditions.
• Designed to pinpoint cause and effect
relationships.
• You want to have two variables: a tested
variable and a control.
• The tested variable =_Independent variable,
YOU control it,YOU manipulate it. Who controls
it? I DO!
– Example: level of phosphate in the water.
– In order to study one variable, scientists
usually study two groups at one time: the one
you are changing and the one that stays the
same.
• The experimental group: the group that
receives the experimental treatment.
– Example: the mussels that receive the phosphate in
their water.
• The control group: does not receive any
experimental treatment.
– Example: the mussels living in the water with no
additional phosphates.
• The effect / results= Dependent variable, it
depends on the IV. Dependent =data
See Variables Graphic
Organizer
Variables
Independent
Example
dependent
Example
Control
Example
Results / Data Collection
• Keeping careful and accurate results is
extremely important.
• Data: information gathered during an
experiment.
Qualitative Data
Quantitative Data
-Quality
-Descriptions
-Quantity
-Amounts
-Numbers
• Organized into tables and graphs. Scientists
also use the metric system when collecting and
converting data.
• Visual representation allows scientists to
explain the data clearly to others.
• Graphs allow scientists to display relationships
between variables, as well as illustrate
conclusions drawn from an experiment: bar,
line, and circle graphs are the most commonly
used.
Let’s Practice Analyzing Data
Tables
General Rules for Graphing
• Always label the X and Y axis.
– X- horizontal and is also the Independent Variable
(IV)
– Y- vertical and is also the Dependent Variable (DV)
– Write out units (mm., cm., km., etc)
– Label the axis with the correct variable.
• Create a comprehensive title that explains your
graph.
– It must explain what you are comparing!
• Increments / Scale
– Create a clean, even scale. Example- 2, 4, 6, 8, 10
– Data points should fill the graph. Use the entire
graph, this will ensure that you can accurately read
and see what the graph is telling you.
• Count up how many boxes you have (how many
increments there will be).
• Determine how much data space you need to span (find
the lowest and highest data value).
• Calculate which increment size will allow you to span the
space, increase by a constant rate, and allow for accurate
data points (divide highest data by # of spaces). Always
round up!
• Always graph in pencil.
• Create a key if there are multiple sets of data.
Histograms
• A series of columns
representing a
variation in frequency
(the number of times
an event occurs) of a
variable over a
discrete interval or
class.
http://www.saburchill
.com/IBbiology/grap
hs/009.html
The distribution of the number of
flowers per flower head in a
population of red clover, Trifolium
repens
Practice Problem
A manager at Taco Bell is interested in the distance her employees travel to
work each day. She asked each employee how many kilometers the store is
from his or her home and received the following answers:
1
18
4
9
9
2
7
16
11
18
6
3
4
12
8
7
15
5
1
8
12
15
8
9
4
13
4
6
2
14
2
17
5
10
7
6
1
18
11
3
9
14
5
4
2
5
5
2
10
6
In order to organize this data, complete the following frequency
distribution and construct a histogram. After you have graphed the
histogram, calculate the relative frequency. For relative frequency,
take the frequency and divide it by the total number. For example,
if there are 10 employees that travel 1-3 km. out of 50, 10/50 = .20
Kilometers
Frequency
1-3
10
4-6
7-9
10 - 12
13 - 15
16 - 18
Total
Relative
Frequency
.20
In order to organize this data, complete the following frequency
distribution and construct a histogram for this data. After you have
graphed the histogram, calculate the relative frequency. For
relative frequency, take the frequency and divide it by the total
number. For example, if there are 10 employees that travel 1-3
km. out of 50, 10/50 = .20
Kilometers
Frequency
1-3
10
Relative
Frequency
.20
4-6
14
.28
7-9
10 - 12
10
6
.20
.12
13 - 15
5
.10
16 - 18
5
.10
Total
50
100
The distribution of employees that travel
different distances to work at Taco Bell
16
14
12
10
Total number
8
of employees
6
4
2
0
1 to 3
4 to 6
7 to 9 10 to 12 13 to 15 16 to 18
Kilometers traveled (km.)
Relative Frequency
Relative Frequency
0.3
0.25
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
1 to 3
4 to 6
7 to 9
10 to 13 to
12
15
Kilometers traveled (km.)
16 to
18
Bar graphs: compare data of
several things in one graph.
– Create a bar graph using the students data
obtained from their experiment.
• Pollutant concentrations (mg /L) in the
water
Site
Nitrates
Phosphates
1
0.3
0.02
2
0.3
0.06
3
0.1
0.07
Pollutant concentrations (mg /L) in the
water
Concentration (mg/L)
0.35
0.3
0.25
0.2
Nitrates
Phosphates
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
1
2
Site
3
What does the data show?
• Look at the bar graph and describe, in
words, what you see.
• Record.
Bar graph analysis
• Site three has a higher level of
phosphates and a lower level of nitrates.
• Think deeper- what can you do with this
information?
Line Graphs
• Show changes over time.
• Interpolation is when we use a line or curve of
best fit to make a judgment about what a value
would be between two known points or
measurements.
• Extrapolation is when we use a line or curve
of best fit to make a judgment about what a
value would be beyond the last known point or
measurement.
Make a line graph with the data
below
The heating of a pot of
water on a stove.
Change in temperature over time
100
90
80
70
60
Temperature
50
(Celcius)
40
30
20
10
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Time (minutes)
8
9
10 11
Circle Graph
• Percentages
• Graph the data.
Inventions Teens Can't Live Without
Other
2%
Toothbrush
34%
Personal
Computer
16%
Automobile
31%
Cell Phone
10%
Microwave
Oven
7%
Data Collection & Results: statistics, averages,
distribution, probability, and the metric
system
• Statistics- collection
and classification of
data that are in the
form of numbers.
– Many scientists use
statistics to measure
populations.
• Example- 14 dwarf
wedge mussels that
were sampled are part
of all dwarf wedge
mussels on the
Ashuelot River.
Mean
• Mean- the number obtained by adding the
data for a characteristic and dividing this
sum by the number of individuals.
– Scientists can compare different populations by
comparing their means.
– Example- measuring the length of all of the
mussels and then dividing it by the total number,
this provides us with the average. Average length
of a mussel is 30 mm.
– Practice- Calculate the mean of the data.
Answer
• 8.7
Distribution
• The pattern that the bars create when
viewed as a whole.
- Lengths of individuals
are between 15 mm.
and 50 mm.
- The line connecting the
tops of the bars forms
the shape of a bell.
- This graph is a typical
bell curve, the mean is
directly in the middle=
bell shaped curves are
referred to as normal
distribution.
Probability
• The chance that something will happen.
– Example- chance of getting heads when you toss a penny.
• ½, 50%, .5
– When writing probability, the number is usually expressed
as a number between 0-1 and written in decimal form.
– Situation- a penny is tossed 10 times, and 7 /10 times it
lands on heads. Does this result prove that the probability
of a penny coming up heads is .7 or 70%?
• The answer is NO! Why? The sample size is too small to provide an
accurate result.
• Sample- group of individuals or events selected to represent the
population.
• Scientists try to make sure that the samples are large
enough to provide an accurate estimate for the whole
population
Practice Problem
• You are in a forest and count 200 pine
trees and notice that 40 of those trees
have pine cones. What is the probability
that the next pine tree you come across
will have pine cones?
Answer
• 40/200= .20
The Metric System
• When we collect data in science, the
metric system is used.
– Based on the power of 10.
– French came up with it.
– Every country uses it, except ours 
Measure
Base Unit
Equals about
Length
1 Meter
3.28 feet (ft.)
Mass
1 Gram
Volume
1 Liter
Weight of a
paperclip
Just less than 3
cans of soda.
Temperature
0 Celsius
Snow!
Common conversions:
1 inch= 2.54 cm.
1 kg.= 2.2 lbs.
1 cm = 10 mm.
1 L= 1.06 quarts
1km. = .62 miles
1 ml. = 1 cm3
1 m. = 3.28 feet
1 fathom = 6 feet
1 mile= 5,280 ft. = 1609.8 m.
Degrees Fahrenheit = (9/5 X degrees C) + 32
Degrees Celsius = 5/9 X (degrees F - 32)
Ko= Co + 273
Practice Temperature
Conversions
Convert the
following to
Fahrenheit
Convert the
following to
Celsius
Convert the
Convert the
following to Kelvin following to
Celsius
1) 10o C
________
2) 30o C
________
3) 40o C
________
4) 37o C
________
5) 0o C ________
6) 32o F
________
7) 45o F
________
8) 70o F
________
9) 80o F
________
10) 90o F
________
11) 212o F
________
12) 0o C
________
13) -50o C
________
14) 90o C
________
15) -20o C
________
16) 100o K
________
17) 200o K
________
18) 273o K
________
19) 350o K
________
Practice Temperature
Conversions- Answers
Convert the
following to
Fahrenheit
Convert the
following to
Celsius
Convert the
Convert the
following to Kelvin following to
Celsius
1) 10o C
____50____
2) 30o C
_____86___
3) 40o C
___104_____
4) 37o C
_____98.6___
5) 0o C
____32____
6) 32o F
____0____
7) 45o F
_____7.2___
8) 70o F
____21.1____
9) 80o F
___26.7_____
10) 90o F
_____32.2___
11) 212o F
_____100___
12) 0o C
____273____
13) -50o C
______223.15__
14) 90o C
____363.15____
15) -20o C
___253.15_____
16) 100o K 173.15
17) 200o K _-73__
18) 273o K
__0______
19) 350o K
____77____
Mnemonic Device
King Henry Died By
Drinking Chocolate
Milk
Base
Unit:
Meter
Gram
Liter
Copy notes from the board!
Conversion Answers!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
kg.
m.
g.
mL.
mm.
L.
km.
cm.
mg.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
2 g.
104,000 km.
4.80 m.
5,6000 g.
.80 cm.
5,000 mL.
.20 kg.
.08 L
.50 m.
560 cm.
160 mm.
2.50 km.
65,000 mg.
63 mm.
.12 g.
Analysis & Conclusion
• Scientists take their results and analyze
them / figure out what they mean.
• Scientists can use mathematical tools to
help determine if their research is
significant or not.
• Scientists compare the outcome of their
experiment with their predictions.
• Sometimes the conclusion is obvious and
sometimes it is not obvious.
Example
– Example- in the mussel experiment, what if three
mussels died in the control tank and five died in
the phosphate / experimental tank? There is not a
big enough difference in the data; therefore, the
students could not conclude that the phosphate
fertilizer is killing the mussels.
– How would you fix this or change this issue?
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
Repeat & Communicate Results
• Scientists do not publish their results right
away; they look for a large amount of
supporting evidence.
• Supporting evidence is achieved via
duplication.
• Duplication means that they are conducting or
carrying out their experiment several times.
The more an experiment is repeated, not only
by the lead scientist, but also by others around
the world, the more reliable the conclusion.
Why is duplication important?
Duplication
• Catch and fix mistakes.
• Double check results- make sure they
obtain the same answer.
• Adds validity.
• Once the experiment has been duplicated and
the results are deemed important, the scientist
can then publish their results in a scientific
journal.
What about the questions that
cannot be studied experimentally?
• Some questions cannot be studied.
– Example: What was the Earth’s climate like 60
million years ago? Why?
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
– Example: Does smoking cause lung cancer in
humans? Why?
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
The Why’s??
• 1. Scientists are 60 million years too late.
• 2. Experiments that might injure people
are unethical.
How do scientists study
questions such as the latter?
– Correlations: look at associations between two or
more events.
Example 1- Tree Cookies
• Scientists know that the
relative width of a ring on a
tree trunk is a good indicator
of the amount of rainfall the
tree received in a given year.
Wide rings= rainy years,
narrow rings= dry years.
Scientists have used tree rings
to investigate populations of
early settlers in the United
States. In some places where
settlers disappeared,
scientists have found that
during that time the tree rings
were very narrow, which
could mean that food was
hard to grow, potentially
leading to starvation.
Example 2- Coral Reefs
• Corals grow a layer of
skeleton every year, with
some living up to 300
years. There is a specific
ratio between the two
elements (strontium and
calcium) that make up the
skeleton and correlate the
ratio with the sea surface
temperatures, allowing
scientists to see how the
Earth’s climate has
changed over the
centuries.
How do scientists come up with
questions?
• Curiosity- Jane Goodall, studied chimpanzees in
the Gombe Forest in Tanzania for years, even lived
along them in their natural habitat. Through
continual observation, she started recognizing and
learning their behaviors, interactions, and group
dynamics. This created a plethora of research
papers and changed the way people perceived
these magnificent creatures. She is now one of the
most successful woman scientists in history.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmcNWJpIX
p8
• Skepticism- scientists don’t believe everything
they are told.
• Openness to new ideas- keep an open mind
about how the world works.
• Intellectual Honesty- after duplicating the
results, a good scientist will consider the
possibility that the new results may be accurate,
even if this means that the hypothesis might be
wrong.
• Imagination and Creativity- constantly coming
up with new ideas and questions. Many of the
new questions come from previous research,
building on something that is already there.
– Example- John Snow, a London scientist, created a
famous spot map of all of the people that had died
of cholera, a potentially fatal disease caused by a
bacterium found in water that has been polluted by
human waste. Many people had poor plumbing or
lack of plumbing; therefore they got their water
from public water pumps. By creating a spot map,
Snow was able to pinpoint which pump was causing
the cholera epidemic, and the town was able to shut
it down.
Now let’s read about John
Snow and how he used
the scientific process to
build upon his
hypothesis!
Is it a theory or a law?
Theory
Law
Theory
• Broad explanation for a wide range of
observations.
• Explains WHY something happens.
• Concise, applicable, systematic, and
analytical.
• Examples: theory of natural selection,
germ theory, and the cell theory.
Scientific Law
• Describes what nature does under
certain conditions.
• Explains what will happen.
• Statements about an observed
phenomena.
• Often mathematically supported.
• Predictable outcomes.
• Example- Newton’s Laws of Motion
Both
• Based on tested hypotheses.
• Supported by a large amount of
experimental data.
• Widely accepted by scientists.
• Can be revised.
Technology in Science
• Scientists use a variety of tools and
technology when conducting research.
• Let’s name as many scientific tools that
you have used in the classroom or in a
lab.
• Technology continually changes the way
scientists work.
• Common types of technology used in Biology
– Microscopes: Compound Light, Dissecting Scope,
Scanning Electron (SEM), and Transmission Electron
(TEM).
– Medical Imaging:
• X-rays: observing the skeleton.
• MRI’s- uses a strong magnetic field to produce a cross
section image of a part of the body. Shows the soft and dense
tissues in detail.
– Models- physical replicas, such as a heart or brain.
– Computer Models- computer have allowed scientists
to take research to a whole new level.
• Example- how medicines impact the body.
• Example- what the heart activity looks like during a heart
attack versus a normal heartbeat.
• Can predict how fast and far the flu virus can spread in a city.
• Discovered that water molecules must move in
a specific way in order to enter a cell channel.
Water is the only molecule that has a specific fit
that other molecules can’t match.
• The entire human genome has been figured out.
The Human Genome Project was completed in
April of 2003.
• Really utilized when actual experiments can’t
be done, because they may be unethical,
impractical, or simply unsafe.
• Molecular Genetics- the study and
manipulation of DNA on a molecular
level. It’s used to study evolution,
ecology, biochemistry, anatomy, etc.
–Biotechnology- the use and application
of living things and biological
processes.
• Using microorganisms to make bread and
cheese.
• DNA testing to free people wrongly
accused of crimes.
• Great potential to solve a lot of problems:
alternative energy.
• Stem Cell research
• Cloning
– The production of identical copies of genes.
– Dolly the sheep in 1997.
• Genetic screening
– Analyzing a person’s genes to identify genetic
variations.
– Allows us to analyze the DNA of our offspring, and to
see if there are any potential disorders or diseases.
There are many benefits, as
well as biological risks, and is
debated frequently
• Almost all domestic plants and
animals are the result of selective
breeding, where humans have
manipulated their DNA.
–Transgenic- organisms that have genes from
more than one species, or have altered
copies of their own genes.
»Examples:
• Genetically Modified Foods / AKA
GMO’s (corn, canola, soy).
• Transgenic bacteria can make human
insulin to treat people with diabetes.