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Communicating Findings to be accepted as good bases for explaining what we

We have seen that scientific inquiry encompasses sev- see in nature, scientists articulate a broader explana-
eral careful and deliberate ways of asking and answering tion that accounts for these hypotheses and the results
questions about the unknown. We ask questions, make of their tests. We call this statement a theory, a gen-
observations, collect field or laboratory samples, and design eral explanation of the world supported by a large body
and carry out experiments to make sense of things we ini- of experimental evidence and observations. Examples of
tially do not understand. well-established theories include the theory of gravity,
Another critical step in scientific inquiry, shown in the chromosome theory, the germ theory, the cell theory,
Figure 0.5, is communication with other scientists and the and the theory of evolution.
Scientists use the word “theory” in a very particular
public. Scientists publish their work in journals and present experimental results.purposes only - do not post.
data at meetings and conferences. Sharing this information way. In general conversation, “theory” is often synonymous
is crucial because it informs both other scientists and the with “hypothesis,” “idea,” or “hunch.” For example, you
public. By making the studies and data known, the results might say, “I’ve got a theory about why the car won’t start.”
from scientific investigation are shared so that others may But in a scientific context, the word “theory” has a spe-
use the information to inform and guide future research and cific meaning. Scientists speak in terms of theories only if
perhaps public action. hypotheses have withstood testing to the point where they
Scientific inquiry is typically not a linear process that provide a general explanation for many observations and
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proceeds in an orderly way from question to hypothesis to
experiment to communication. It more accurately resem- Just as a good hypothesis makes testable predictions, a
bles a circle, where questions lead to experiments that lead good theory both generates hypotheses and predicts their
to more questions. And there are frequent failures, false outcomes. For example, the theory of gravity arises from
starts, and rejected hypotheses. These are all part of the pro- a set of hypotheses you test every day by walking down
cess of scientific inquiry. In fact, the ability to make cor- the street or dropping a fork. Similarly, the theory of evolu-
rections, refine explanations, and reject hypotheses makes tion is not just one explanation among many for the unity
scientific inquiry a powerful method to understand the and diversity of life. Instead, it is a set of hypotheses that
world around us. has been tested for more than a century and shown to pro-
Every scientist experiences failure, but good scien- vide an extraordinarily powerful explanation of biological
tists learn from failed experiments, using the results to observations. In fact, as we discuss throughout this book,
plan new ways of approaching problems. Once we obtain evolution is one of the most significant theories in all of
results that provide new understanding, we communicate biology. It provides the most general and powerful explana-
what we find with other scientists and the public. Discuss- tion of how life works.
ing and sharing ideas and results often leads to new ques-
tions, which in turn can be tested by more observations
and experiments. ✓ Concept Check
5. Describe how a scientist turns an observation into
Establishing Theories a hypothesis and investigates that hypothesis.
A hypothesis may initially be tentative. It often pro- 6. Describe the differences between an experimen-
vides one of several possible ways to explain an obser- tal (test) group and a control group, and why it is
important for an experiment to include both types
vation. With repeated observation and experimentation, of groups.
a good hypothesis gathers strength and researchers have 7. Identify the differences among a guess, hypothesis,
more and more confidence in it. When a number of and theory.
related hypotheses survive repeated testing and come

MODULE 0 IntroductIon 13

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