Questions based on biofundamentals chapter podcasts

   

from the podcast
chapter

from the authors
1 What are the two key features that make Newton's experiments scientific?   How can Occam's Razor be applied to differentiate between two models that are equally accurate? What are the benefits of using this principle?
  How does the social nature of science contribute to the development of evidence-based consensus?   Can you describe the criteria and process you use to determine if an idea, model, or hypothesis qualifies as scientific? Please include considerations such as testability, falsifiability, and the use of empirical evidence
  What are the limitations of scientific knowledge and how do these limitations impact decision-making in complex systems like climate change or healthcare?   Given a news story that claims spirit forces influence the weather, develop a set of questions to evaluate the scientific plausibility of this claim. Consider aspects such as empirical evidence, testability, and consistency with established scientific principles.*
      Imagine a scenario where scientific research concludes that free will is an illusion. Develop a set of questions to explore the implications of this conclusion on human behavior and decision-making. How might this influence ethical, social, and personal perspectives on autonomy and responsibility?*
       
2
Explain the relationship between the Cell Theory and the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection.
  How might you determine if a specific object exhibits the fundamental characteristics and behaviors of life?
  Explain why the presence of organisms in the modern world makes spontaneous generation unlikely.   Consider the risk of death graph as a function of age in humans. Provide a plausible explanation for the shape of the graph; what factors might influence the various regions of the curve?
  What are the three possible approaches to the study of life's origins?   In the the risk of death graph (↑); should the points be connected or is a smooth “best fit” curve a more accurate way to describe the system? Justify your reasoning.
      Why did the discovery of bacteria reopen the debate on spontaneous generation?
      In Pasteur’s experiment would you expect to see microbial growth in the bent loop of the flask? Explain your thinking.
      What does the result of a positive control experiment tell you?
      In 1961 Frank Drake, a radio astronomer, proposed an equation to estimate the number of technologically sophisticated civilizations that can be expected to exist within the observable Universe (N).
The equation is N = R* x fp x ne x fl x fi x fc x L where:
R* = The rate of formation of stars suitable for the development of intelligent life.
fo = The fraction of those stars with planetary systems.
ne = The number planets, per solar system, with an environment suitable for life.
fl = The fraction of suitable planets on which life actually appears.
fi = The fraction of life-bearing planets on which intelligent life emerges.
fc = The fraction of civilizations that develop a technology that releases detectable signs of their existence into space.
L = The length of time such civilizations release detectable signals into space (that is how long such a civilization persist until it destroys itself or is destroyed by natural disaster).
      What factors might drive the appearance of teeth, bones, shells, muscles, nervous systems, and eyes?
      If we assume that spontaneous generation occurred in the distant past, why is it not occurring today? How could you tell if it were?
       
3.1 Explain why extinct species fit into the same classification scheme as living organisms.   Explain why extinct species fit into the same classification scheme as used for living (observable) organisms.
  How does the Linnaean classification scheme differ from a natural theology approach to understanding the diversity of life?   What factors would influence your decision as to whether a trait found in two different organisms was present in their common ancestor?
  What are the key factors that drive evolution by natural selection?
  You discover life on a planet orbiting another star in another galaxy; would you expect such organisms to fit into the Linnaean classification system?
  Explain how the fossil record provides evidence for common ancestry among organisms.    
  Explain the difference between natural selection and artificial selection.    
  How has the study of fossils contributed to our understanding of evolutionary relationships?    
       
3.2 Explain how superfecundity contributes to the process of natural selection.   Explain why superfecundity is required for evolution to occur.
  What is the key difference between a stochastic process and a random event?   Why is the presence of genetically inheritable variation essential for any evolutionary model?
  Describe the role of stochastic processes in evolutionary mechanisms.   How can the observation that the products of artificial selection are not generally competitive with "native" organisms be explained?*
  How does the environment play a role in the evolution of a trait?   What does the word correlation mean to you? what does it mean mathematically or practically?
  How do mutations occur and what are the consequences for the genome?   If an individual’s height was "determined" by the genotypes of their parents, then why don’t height measurements line on a straight line? Where might the scatter come from?
  What are the three basic types of selection, and how do they differ?   Why does phenotypic variation never completely disappear even in the face of strong stabilizing selection?
  What is a polymorphism?   How can the evolution of another species influence the type of selection acting on a species?
  Explain the difference between discrete and continuous traits.   How many genes would you expect to be influence by the various forms of selection?
  What is the relationship between DNA replication and mutation?   How can you distinguish stochastic from random events? What types of everyday stochastic events are you familiar with.
  Explain the relationship between an organism's genotype and its phenotype.   How might you decide whether a pattern in data was due to an underlying process or "just" to chance ?
       
3.3      


bioliteracy / beSocratic project