BIO 1500 - Week 1
1. science: the process allowing pursuit of knowledge which is constantly being edited
2. knowledge: objectively verifiable information based on experiences
3. Scientific advancement: Progress in scientific knowledge and understanding
4. inductive reasoning: A type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large number of specific
observations.
5. deductive reasoning: reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then
applying that principle to a specific case (The sun rises every morning; therefore, the sun will rise on Tuesday morning.)
6. scientific method: A series of steps followed to solve problems including collecting data, formulating a
hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and stating conclusions; works in a cycle!
7. theories: the result of of continuous testing of focused hypotheses without rejection
8. questions scientists ask: descriptive questions, observational questions, and causal questions
1/4
, 9. descriptive questions: invite the participant to give a general account of something(EX: how many species
in the world?)
10. observational/relational questions: Designed to look at relationships between two or more vari-
ables(EX: Are right-handed or left-handed people more common?)
11. causal questions: questions about how or why things occur(EX: how is eye color determined?)
12. importance of causal questions: 1. allows us to understand how things work
2. leads us to unifying ideas that explain our world
13. in biology, we consider events to be significant only if the probability is
...: <0.05
14. biodiversity: the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
15. where does biodiversity come from?: Evolution, more specifically natural selection, mutations,
genetic drift, and gene flow
16. creationism: independent origins for each species, but many allow reexsistance following extinction; earliest
2/4
1. science: the process allowing pursuit of knowledge which is constantly being edited
2. knowledge: objectively verifiable information based on experiences
3. Scientific advancement: Progress in scientific knowledge and understanding
4. inductive reasoning: A type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large number of specific
observations.
5. deductive reasoning: reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then
applying that principle to a specific case (The sun rises every morning; therefore, the sun will rise on Tuesday morning.)
6. scientific method: A series of steps followed to solve problems including collecting data, formulating a
hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and stating conclusions; works in a cycle!
7. theories: the result of of continuous testing of focused hypotheses without rejection
8. questions scientists ask: descriptive questions, observational questions, and causal questions
1/4
, 9. descriptive questions: invite the participant to give a general account of something(EX: how many species
in the world?)
10. observational/relational questions: Designed to look at relationships between two or more vari-
ables(EX: Are right-handed or left-handed people more common?)
11. causal questions: questions about how or why things occur(EX: how is eye color determined?)
12. importance of causal questions: 1. allows us to understand how things work
2. leads us to unifying ideas that explain our world
13. in biology, we consider events to be significant only if the probability is
...: <0.05
14. biodiversity: the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
15. where does biodiversity come from?: Evolution, more specifically natural selection, mutations,
genetic drift, and gene flow
16. creationism: independent origins for each species, but many allow reexsistance following extinction; earliest
2/4
