MS130 - Biology
return to home page

Pete Markiewicz

Week 01

Web links - Week 1

Nature of Scientific Method, What is Life?

THE NATURE OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

Science is a particular way of "knowing". It does not "prove" anything but collects observational data to support "educated guesses" explaining the observations called hypotheses. With more evidence it becomes a theory. A good theory may be "falsified" (made less likely due to contrary evidence) but never fully proved. Science also looks to the natural world for answers, rather than assuming that "human nature" is the cause of everything.

• Popular "scientific" myths
  http://www.livescience.com/bestimg/result.php?back=&cat=myths
• Science is oh so fickle...
  http://news.com.com/2061-11204_3-5787587.html?part=rss&tag=5787587&subj=news
• The disinformation archive (GREAT source of crackpot theories)
  http://www.disinfo.com
• Recognizing pseudoscience
  http://www.chem1.com/acad/sci/pseudosci.html
• Resources in the creation/evolution controversy
  http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/index.html
• How to think like a pseudoscientist
  http://www.poleshift.org/ps/Pseudosci.html
• The scientific method
  http://teacher.nsrl.rochester.edu/phy_labs/AppendixE/AppendixE.html
• Scientific method versus "common sense"
  http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio104/sci_meth.htm
• Higher education linked to STRONGER belief in ghosts, paranormal
  Contrary to researchers' expectations, a poll of 439 college students found seniors and grad students were more likely than freshmen to believe in haunted houses, psychics, telepathy, channeling and a host of other questionable ideas
  http://www.livescience.com/othernews/060121_paranormal_poll.html
• Why Ben Franklin was a true scientist (not just a guy with cool ideas)
  http://www.livescience.com/history/060117_ben_franklin.html
• Why "conspiracy theories" are anti-scientific (science may be falsified, conspiracy theories cannot be falsified)
  http://www.don-lindsay-archive.org/creation/falsify.html
• Search for Ivory-billed woodpecker (real science) sheds light on search for "bigfoot" (pseudoscience)
  If the Bigfoot believers are right, scientists may make a far more important discovery than another woodpecker. Of course, if no evidence of Bigfoot is found, this will not deter believers
  http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060118_bigfoot_woodpecker.html
• Vatican astronomer says "intelligent design" (as currently practiced) is not science
  http://www.livescience.com/othernews/ap_051118_ID_vatican.html
• Vatican paper denounces "intelligent design"
  http://www.livescience.com/othernews/060119_ap_vatican_id.html

"DEEP SPACE" AND "DEEP TIME" - THE TWO GREATEST DISCOVERIES OF SCIENCE

• Deep space - "powers of 10" (zoom from an atomic nucleus to galaxy clusters in 40 steps
  http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.php?set_albumName=powers&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=slideshow.php

WHAT IS LIFE?

• Zombie Dogs
  http://news.com.com/2061-11204_3-5777094.html
• What is life? Vitalism versus mechanism
  http://www.cod.edu/people/faculty/fancher/Vitalism.htm
• What makes something alive
  http://faculty.fmcc.suny.edu/mcdarby/Majors101Book/Chapter_01-The_Basics/01-Defining_Life.htm
• Are computers alive?
• http://www.scienceforums.net/forums/archive/index.php/t-4350.html

GO TO WEEK 02