Biological Science: BIOL 1003

Dr. David F. Gilmore LSE 418 dgilmore@astate.edu 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.