Page 18 - 2022-bfw-morris-1e

domesticated plants and animals, fossils, and the distribution knowledge to start refining questions that would be inter-
of organisms on the Earth. These observations led him to esting to investigate.
ask questions. Why are organisms adapted, often exquisitely, Regardless of where they come from or when they arise
©2022 BFW Publishers. PAGES NOT FINAL. For review purposes only - do not post.
to their environment? Why do some fossil organisms resem- in the process, questions are the keys to scientific inquiry.
ble living ones? Why are there penguins in the Southern Indeed, learning to ask good questions is a fundamental
Hemisphere but not the Northern Hemisphere? Why are component of thinking like a scientist.
islands home to so many species that are found nowhere else
in the world? Formulating Hypotheses
Let’s say you observe a hummingbird, like the one pic- Observations such as those about the hummingbird,
tured in FIGURE 0.6, hovering near a red flower, occasion- the questions observations raise, and consulting the sci-

ally dipping its long beak into the bloom. What motivates entific literature allow us to move on to investigation.
this behavior? Is the bird feeding on some substance within Scientists use observation and critical thinking to propose
the flower? Is it drawn to the flower by its vivid color? a hypothesis . A hypothesis is a tentative explanation for
What benefit, if any, does the flowering plant derive from one or more observations, and it makes predictions that
the bird? can be tested by experimentation or additional observa-
Having formulated these questions, the next step that tions. A hypothesis is not just an idea or hunch. It is a
scientists often take is to consult the scientific literature, working explanation that helps a researcher understand
which is the published information about observations an observation and leads to a better understanding of the
and experiments that others have done. In our example, observation.
the scientist would likely review those papers that focus We might, for example, hypothesize that a humming-
on hummingbird feeding habits and possibly on the effects bird is carrying pollen from one flower to the next, facili-
hummingbirds have on plants they visit. Having reviewed tating reproduction in the plant. Or we might hypothesize
the scientific literature, the scientist should have enough that nectar produced by the flower provides nutrition for

Exploration
Make observations
Ask questions
Approach the world with curiosity
Read the scienti c literature

Investigation
Formulate hypotheses
Communication
Discuss experiments Make predictions If results are
Share results not consistent,
Publish papers revise or reject
Participate in conferences Do experiments or make new observations the hypothesis.
Inform policy
Address problems Gather and interpret data
If results are consistent
Establish a theory over many experiments
and explain a wide variety
of observations, hypotheses
become a theory.

FIGURE 0.5 Scientific Inquiry
Scientific inquiry is the organized, deliberate process that scientists use to examine the natural world. It consists of three parts:
exploration, investigation, and communication.

6 Unit 1 chemIstry of LIfe

©2022 BFW Publishers. PAGES NOT FINAL. For review purposes only - do not post.

02_morrisapbiology1e_11331_Unit1_Mod0_01-19_3pp.indd 6 10/04/21 9:09 AM