16 ■ CHAPTER 01 The Nature of Science
SCIENCE
on ways to deliver the treatment to large groups
of bats.
For now, bats continue to die across Amer-
ica every winter. Hicks worries that students,
hikers, and tourists will visit caves in the United
States, not see any bats, and think that’s normal.
“In 2006, in one big cave in the Adirondacks,
we counted over 185,000 bats. Anywhere you
shined a light, there was a bat,” says Hicks. “You
go in now, and there’s not a bat in sight.”Today, WNS continues to spread, and scien-
tists have not yet found a way to stop it, though
many are trying. Recently, an international
team of scientists identified a few populations of
bats in Asia and the United States that survived
the fungal infection. Evidence from those bats
suggests they evolved resistance to the deadly
disease. Researchers have also had some luck
treating infected bats with a type of bacteria
that kills the fungus, but they are still working● (^) Science is both a body of knowledge about the
natural world and an evidence-based process for
generating that knowledge.
● (^) The scientific method represents the core logic
of the process by which scientific knowledge is
generated. The scientific method requires that we
(1) make observations, (2) devise a hypothesis to
explain those observations, (3) generate predictions
from that hypothesis, (4) test those predictions, and
(5) share the results of the tests for peer review by
fellow scientists.
● (^) A hypothesis cannot be proved true; it can only be
supported or not supported. If the predictions of
a hypothesis are not supported, the hypothesis is
rejected or modified. If the predictions are upheld,
the hypothesis is supported.
● (^) We can test hypotheses by making further
observations or by performing experiments
(controlled, repeated manipulations of nature) that
will either uphold the predictions or show them to be
incorrect.
REVIEWING THE SCIENCE
THE QUESTIONS
● (^) In a scientific experiment, the independent variable
is manipulated by the investigator. Any variable
that can potentially respond to the changes in the
independent variable is called a dependent variable.
● (^) A scientific fact is a direct and repeatable
observation of any aspect of the natural world.
A scientific theory is a major idea that has been
supported by many observations and experiments.
● (^) The term biological hierarchy refers to the many
levels at which life can be studied: atom, molecule,
cell, tissue, organ, organ system, organism,
population, community, ecosystem, biome, biosphere.
● (^) All living organisms have the following
characteristics in common: (1) They are built of cells;
some are single-celled and some are multicellular.
(2) They reproduce, using DNA to pass genetic
information from parent to offspring. (3) They
take in energy from their environment. (4) They
sense and respond to their environment. (5) They
exhibit homeostasis, maintaining constant internal
conditions. (6) They can evolve as groups.
The Basics
(^1) Which of the following is a living organism?
(Select all that apply.) If it is not living, which criterion,
or criteria, does it not meet?
(a) an oak tree
(b) an influenza virus
(c) the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats
(d) a diamond
(e) your teacher
(^2) When scientists use the word “theory,” they mean
(a) an educated guess.
(b) an overarching explanation of an interrelated set
of observations.
(c) wild speculation.
(d) an experimental prediction.
(e) a fact proved by many experiments.
(^3) Select the correct terms:
The process of science begins with a(n)