Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
The Nature of Science Science asks three basic question: 1. What’s there? 2. How does it work? 3. How did it come to be this way? Principle of Science • Seeks to explain the natural world. • Assumes that this is possible by gathering evidence about it. Science is a Process • Ideas are developed through reasoning and experiments. • Scientific claims are based on testing explanations against observations of the natural world and rejecting the ones that fail the test. • Subject to peer review and replication. • Scientific conclusions are well supported by facts and are tentative only in the sense that all ideas are open to scrutiny • Science is not democratic: ideas are accepted/rejected based on evidence not what people think • Science is non-dogmatic. In science things are not accepted on faith but on evidence. • Science cannot make moral or aesthetic decisions. Science corrects itself. • Theories are central to scientific thinking: Theory - Popular meaning: a guess - In science: a well-substantiated explanation of events observed in the natural world Fact – A natural phenomenon repeatedly confirmed by observation. Law – A description of how a natural phenomenon will occur under certain circumstances. Evolution – Darwin defined this term as "descent with modification.” • biological evolution is the process of change by which new species develop from preexisting species over time • in genetic terms, evolution can be defined as any change in the frequency of alleles in populations of organisms from generation to generation. “You’ve gotta grow big enough and strong enough to reproduce.” Misconception: “Evolution is a theory about the origin of life.” • Evolution deals with how life changed after its origin. Misconception: “Evolution is like a climb up a ladder of progress; organisms are always getting better.” • “good enough” is just that – there is no “perfect” organism, your ability to survive will vary with environment Misconception: “Evolution means that life changed ‘by chance.’ ” • Mutations are random, natural selection is not. Misconception: “Natural selection involves organisms ‘trying’ to adapt.” • Natural selection is based on variation within a population and selection, not trying. Misconception: “Natural selection gives organisms what they ‘need.’ ” • Natural selection has no intent. • Evolution in action…