Nature of Science

At one time, most people believed that the Universe was static, meaning it did not change. When larger and better telescopes were invented in the early 1900s, however, it was discovered that light from objects in space shifted toward larger wavelengths. Scientists concluded that only an expanding Universe could explain this shift. Which of the following statements is supported by this example?

• The principle of the expanding Universe is a scientific law.

• Scientific knowledge can change when new evidence or interpretations arise.

• Once a scientific theory has been accepted, it can never change.

• The theory of the expanding Universe cannot change, even if new evidence arises.

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In one town, there are several natural gas drilling sites. Scientists warn town officials that the health of the people could be affected by the natural gas wells, so in an effort to protect its citizens, the town temporarily prevents builders from developing homes and businesses within two miles of the drill sites. This example demonstrates how science can be used to inform decision making at the ______ level.

• international

• national

• community

• state

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Newton's law of universal gravitation, the law of conservation of mass, the law of superposition, and the laws of thermodynamics are all examples of scientific laws because

• they have been modified repeatedly over time.

• they have been approved and accepted by congress.

• they are found in science textbooks.

• there are no exceptions to these laws under specific stated conditions.

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Gene watches a space shuttle launch from the Kennedy Space Center as it departs on its last mission. After seeing the launch, Gene is inspired to publish a science fiction novel about how future space vehicles will be launched from the Kennedy Space Center and travel to distant planets. This is an example of how space exploration can affect ______

• public transit

• science

• culture

• mathematics

Approximately eleven million people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Thus, many countries, including the United States, spend millions of dollars annually on cancer research. Which of the following statements is best supported by the above information?

• More money should be spent on science.

• Social concerns can affect science.

• Cancer is the only disease that should be researched.

• The United States is the only country concerned about cancer.

Formerly, when scientists wanted to test substances, such as blood, they had to manually pipette each substance into individual test tubes or plate wells. Today, there are machines available that can pipette many substances simultaneously. So, a task that used to take hours can now be performed in minutes. This machine is an example of a technology that can help scientists

• store data.

• collect samples.

• perform computations.

• communicate information.

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Scientific knowledge is based on evidence. Where do scientists acquire evidence?

• from scientific hypotheses

• from scientific theories

• from observations or experiments

• from reading popular magazines

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In which of the following ways can scientific knowledge change and grow?

• a single experiment disproves a prevailing theory

• a large number of experiments challenge a prevailing theory

• a popular scientist states that a prevailing theory is not correct

• experiments reaffirm the validity of a prevailing theory

Some organisms that are alive today do not look exactly like organisms that lived in the past. However, if a comparison of DNA samples from two organisms that differ in appearance reveals that the organisms are nearly genetically identical, the samples may be used as evidence for which theory?

• cell theory, or the theory that cells are the most basic units of life.

• the big bang theory, or the theory that life began as a clump of matter that exploded outwards.

• atomic theory, or the theory that atoms are the most basic units of matter.

• the theory of evolution, or the theory that characteristics of populations can change over time.

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What do the following areas of scientific understanding have in common?

- the understanding of the structure of the Solar System

- the understanding of how traits are passed from parents to offspring

- the understanding of the building blocks of matter and life

• There is no scientific knowledge related to these areas of science.

• The scientific knowledge related to these areas has changed over time.

• We know all there is to know about these areas of science.

• The scientific knowledge related to these areas has remained unchanged since their discovery.

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