Genetic Engineering

Notes June 5th, 2006

What is Science?

~The description of the world in terms of natural laws as opposed to the

invocation of supernatural intervention.

~1st introduced by Aristotle (384 B.C. to 322 B.C.)

How does Science work?

~As a question about or observe a phenomenon. (formulate falsifiable or

testable hypotheses)

~Gather appropriate data (conduct experiments; make further

observations.)

~Accept/Reject hypotheses

Two Different approaches

~The Inductive Approaches

~a stepwise ascent from observation to theory

~collect as many observations as possible without presuppositions

~analyze data to isolate positive and negative features (I.e. what

is always associated with the phenomenon and what is never

present in the absence of the phenomenon.

~make generalization on the basis of evidence

~test the generalization under new conditions

~premises cannot be true and the conclusion follows from the

premises.

~the truth of the premises guarantees the truth of the conclusion

~but the conclusion cannot extend much beyond the premises & ...

~what if there is falsehood (recognized or not) in the premises

~The Scientific Method

~start with hypothesis

~after extensive investigation and critical evaluation by experts...

becomes a THEORY

Attributes of a Scientific Theory

~Guides scientific inquiry

~Organizes observations and data

~Provides explanations for phenomena

~Helps predict events...provides direction.

Ethics in Science

~Culture controls to some degree how science is used and conducted

~judicious use of advances and discoveries

~just because we can do something doesn't mean we should do it

~careful not to discard potentially useful discoveries.

What about the use of animals in experiments?

~substitutes for humans

NOTES FROM JUNE 6TH, 2006

Biology Through the Ages

~Animals were important to many early civilizations (Egyptians;

Mesopotamians)

~Hippocrates (460 B.C. to 375 B.C.)

~Father of Medicine

~Suggested naturalistic hypotheses for aliments

~avoided supernatural explanations

~Aristotle (384BC to 322BC)

~Animal Biology as a science

~Gaius Plinius Secondus (23AD to 79AD)

~Historia Naturalis - physical universe, geography, anthropology

biology, mineralogy, medicinal plants, the fine arts.

~books 7-19 = biology

~litature review

~St. Augustine - The Bishop of Hippo (354AD to 430AD)

~Natural Phenomena explained by theological methods.

~led to scholasticism

~unification of theology and philosophy

~central goal = proving existence of god

~dominant mode of thought through the middle ages

~Universities

~late middle ages

~wide spread by the 16th century in Europe

~University Libraries

~Royal Society of London - 1662 to present

~invitation only

~Andreas Vesalius (1514 to 1564AD)

~human anatomy

~corrected Galen (129-200AD)

~Sir Francis Bacon (1561 to 1626)

~philosophical system for investigation natural phenomena.

~importance of experimentation

~central figure in developing the scientific method.

~Anton van Leeuwennoek (1632 to 1723)

~the microscope

~animalcules = protozoa

~Robert Hooke (1635 to 1703)

~compound microscope

~discovered cells

~Carolus Linnaeus (1707 to 1778)

~attempted to arrange all known plants and animals

~systema naturae (1758)

~Kingdom

~Phylum

~Class

~Order

~Family

~Genus

~Species

~basis of taxonomy today

~Baron Cuvier (1769 to 1832)

~survived French Revolutions

~established

...