Bio FINAL
Some questions fall outside the realm of science. Which of the following questions could NOT be answered using the scientific method?
what is the function of the appendix in human beings
A popular post on the Internet states that hugs "transfer energy" between participants, giving them an "emotional lift." Which of the following is a scientific approach to evaluating the claim of "energy transfer" during hugs? The hypothesis for the experiment would be as follows: if one person hugs another, the person receiving the hug will have more measurable energy after the hug.
First, develop a method of physically measuring the amount of energy available in a human being. Divide hundreds of subjects randomly into two groups, huggers and nonhuggers. The available energy in the individuals of each group would be measured, the individuals would then hug (or not), and then the energy levels are measured again. The experimenter should not know which group is the hugging or nonhugging group to avoid expectation bias. The experiment should be repeated numerous times before analyzing the data.
Scientists working for a major cosmetics company are attempting to determine if a new face cream can reduce the number of fine lines and wrinkles on a person's face. This is an example of
applied research
Scientific studies that compare patients with a disease to those without the disease are referred to as
case-control studies.
Observational studies that follow a particular group of individuals over a certain time period are ________ studies.
cohort
Which of the following sequences correctly represents the biological hierarchy of a multicellular organism?
cells → tissues → organs → individual
Which of the following examples indicates a situation where the researcher is MOST likely to have a possible bias regarding his or her work?
A privately funded researcher is working on developing a genetically engineered and patented microbe to quickly digest oil spills. If successful, the microbe would be marketed worldwide.
Which of the following is LEAST likely to include unchecked bias when making scientific statements?
A. religious groups B. marketing groups *C. peer-reviewed scientific journals D. political groups
When determining whether a claim about a new cleansing juice diet is scientific or pseudoscientific, which of the following is NOT a helpful question to ask yourself?
Are there a lot of people, including celebrities, endorsing the product as a healthy weight-loss method?
A research team funded by federal grants is studying the coevolution of pain receptors in grasshopper mice and the neurotoxic venom of scorpions (one of their primary food sources) to determine how the mice have adapted to the venom of their prey. This is an example of ________ research.
basic research
Scientists at a major university are attempting to isolate the gene that slows the degeneration of collagen in skin. This is an example of
basic research
Your own scientific literacy would NOT be helpful in answering which of the following questions?
A. Should I spend the extra money to buy a particular pair of shoes that claims to help tone my leg muscles better than other athletic shoes? *B. Which movie should I watch this weekend? C. Will my cell phone cause me to have cancer? D. Should I take a cinnamon capsule every morning to help regulate my blood sugar?
Therapeutic touch (TT) is a type of "energy" medicine that involves the practitioner moving his or her hands over the energy field of the patient, without actually touching the patient, to redirect the energy field and heal the patient. Which of the following would be the first concept to investigate to help evaluate the claims of TT practitioners?
A. documentable and repeatable evidence that an external energy field actually exists for humans. B. documentable and repeatable evidence that TT practitioners can, without seeing their subjects, actually feel the energy field of a patient. C. documentable and repeatable evidence that any existing energy field can be manipulated by merely passing hands over it. *D. documentable claims by TT practitioners and their patients that the patients thought they felt better after being treated by the TT practitioner even though there was no change in their diseases.
Sue has twin baby boys and is trying to decide whether to have them vaccinated against chicken pox or to take them to a "chicken pox party" where they can be naturally exposed to other children who currently have chicken pox. Which of the following would be the first relevant question for Sue to research before making her decision?
Are there any peer-reviewed, scientific studies of observable and quantifiable claims regarding the chicken pox vaccine or chicken pox parties?
What is the MOST likely explanation for why all living organisms use the same genetic code stored in DNA?
DNA is required for organisms to sense and respond to changes in the environment
Which of the following would NOT be a reason for a peer-reviewed paper to be retracted by its publisher as untrue or inaccurate?
Other researchers have published work that appears to contradict the paper in question.
In the fall of 2012, a veterinarian from Texas issued a press release stating that her team of scientists had completed a five-year DNA study confirming the existence of "Sasquatch" or "Bigfoot." Which of the following statements, if true, would lend support to her claims?
She consulted experts in the field of human genomics and made her DNA samples available to them for analysis.
Which of the following situations might present a logical reason for accepting a scientific claim made by a person who did not have appropriate credentials for making that claim?
The claim could be supported by other nonbiased and credentialed scientists who have conducted similar research and arrived at the same conclusion and been reviewed by their peers.
Thomas's foot began to swell after he was stung by a scorpion. Thomas' friend said his mom had an old, trusted herbal poultice remedy that would absorb the venom from the foot, reduce the swelling, and heal the foot. Thomas allowed his friend to place the herbal poultice on his foot before going to bed that night, and the swelling was gone in the morning. Which of the following can be concluded about the herbal poultice remedy?
There is not anything that can be concluded about the effectiveness of the poultice remedy.
The hypothesis that there is a common ancestor to all living organisms is strengthened by what observation?
almost all cells in all living organisms use DNA to direct their structure, function, and behavior
A pharmaceutical company conducts trials on animals and cell lines to determine the safety of a new vaccine before performing clinical trials on adult human volunteers. This is an example of
applied research
A research team funded by a pharmaceutical company is studying the adaptation of grasshopper mice to the neurotoxic venom of scorpions in an attempt to determine how the mice's adaptation could be used as a possible solution to pain management in humans. This is an example of ________ research.
applied research
The federally funded Centers for Disease Control routinely collect and evaluate data regarding communicable diseases. This information helps researchers make recommendations regarding vaccination schedules for children and adults. This is an example of
basic research
Which term best describes the temperate deciduous forests that cover the northeastern United States, including the Adirondack Mountains?
biome
Recently, beekeepers have noticed an alarming and sudden disappearance of honeybees from their hives. Some beekeepers and environmentalists worry that crops genetically engineered to produce Bt insecticidal toxin may be killing the bees. Which of these experiments tests the hypothesis that Bt toxin is killing the bees?
collecting hundreds of bees; half of the bees would be kept in a facility with plants genetically engineered to contain the gene for Bt toxin, while the other half would be kept in a facility with plants not genetically engineered to contain the gene for Bt toxin. The survival rate for both sets of bees would be calculated and compared
A small, potentially living object was found. For this object to be considered alive, the object must
contain one or more cells
The group of 18 bats that were "sham injected" represents a ________ group that experienced ________
control; no change in the independent variable
The fact that the onset of autism symptoms typically occur at about the same age children receive many of their vaccinations, including the MMR, is an example of an observed
correlation but not necessarily evidence of a cause-effect relationship.
When Anna Eaton was deciding whether to vaccinate her baby, Caroline, she came across the fact that the onset of autism symptoms typically occurs around 16-24 months of age. Most children receive the MMR vaccine around the age of 15 months. This is an example of a
correlation, but there is no support for a cause-effect relationship between the MMR vaccine and autism.
In the chemical reaction that forms hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), hydrogen and oxygen share electrons, creating ________ bonds between the two atoms.
covalent
Atoms in a single molecule of methane, CH4, share electrons. Methane is formed by ________ bonds joining ________ atoms.
covalent; 5
The caves in upstate New York, where Alan Hicks's team first noticed the deaths of thousands of bats, represent the ________ where the bats lived
ecosystem
The subatomic particles that possess a single negative charge and surround the nucleus are the
electrons
The subatomic particles that possess a single negative charge, surround the nucleus, and are lost or gained by atoms called ions are the
electrons
If the Centers for Disease Control's recommended vaccination schedule is delayed, the children who do not receive their vaccines on schedule
experience an increased risk of disease.
The human heart pumps blood throughout the blood vessels in the body. This is a scientific
fact
DNA is one of the features common to all known forms of life; it
forms the protective outer membrane of cells
Although it seems contradictory, real science does not intend to "prove" a hypothesis to be true. This is because
future experiments or discoveries may provide data that refutes the hypothesis.
During the study period the bats were monitored for signs of WNS. What is the specific hypothesis being tested by the inclusion of group 4 in this experiment?
geomyces destructans causes WNS, and it can be transmitted by direct contact with the fungus; no contact with infected bats is needed for transmission of the fungus
Living organisms maintain a constant internal environment by sensing and responding to their internal conditions. This stable maintenance of internal conditions is known as
homeostasis
A patient often experiences numbness and pain in the thumb and first two fingers on his right hand. He goes to the doctor, who suspects that carpal tunnel syndrome is the reason for the numbness and pain. The doctor then orders a simple test to see how fast nerve impulses are moving up and down the patient's arm. The doctor's preliminary diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome is a(n) hypothesis.
hypothesis
When scientists generate a single informed, logical, and plausible explanation for a question and observations of the natural world, they are proposing a scientific
hypothesis
A scientist notices that a population of birds has decreased dramatically within one year and suspects that a newly introduced snail population may be affecting the bird population. Some individuals within the bird population eat snails, primarily, while other individuals avoid eating snails. Which of the following statements represents a prediction based on a well-constructed hypothesis for this observation?
if birds are affected by eating snails, then there will be a difference in the survival rate of birds that eat snails and those that avoid snails
Sodium chloride (table salt) is formed when positively charged sodium ions and negatively charged chloride ions are chemically attracted to each other. This attraction is best described as a(n)
ionic bond
New medications undergo extensive human testing before receiving FDA approval. These tests represent an experiment, and variations in the dosage given to participants represents the
iv
Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms are held together by chemical bonds to form ________ of sugar
molecules
Announcing "scientific" findings in a press conference before they have been published in an established scientific journal is an example of
neither
Recently, beekeepers have noticed an alarming and sudden disappearance of honeybees from their hives. Some beekeepers and environmentalists worry that crops genetically engineered to produce Bt insecticidal toxin may be killing the bees. Without data from a scientific experiment, is it reasonable to state that Bt-containing crops are responsible for the loss of honeybees?
no
Victoria, who is 10 years old, wants to be a zoologist when she grows up because she loves animals. So, she decided to begin her training by "doing something scientific." Specifically, she weighed and measured the lengths of all the earthworms she could find in her yard and recorded the data in a notebook. She then made a graph showing the maximum, minimum, and average weights and heights of the earthworms. Was she doing something scientific?
no
A group of researchers conducted an experiment and collected the data presented in the graph below. The graph shows that the hypothesis was ____ because all members of the control group ___ while most of the members of both treatment groups ______ by the end of the study.
not supported; died; survived
Developing a scientific understanding of a natural phenomenon typically begins by
observing a quantifiable natural phenomena.
Which of these characteristics of living organisms are present in viruses?
obtain energy from their environment
Bats use echolocation to orient themselves and locate objects. Doing this requires special adaptations in their inner ear, midbrain, and auditory cortex of their cerebrum. The echolocation system of bats is an example of a(n)
organ system
Researchers hypothesized that a North American fungus not only caused symptoms of white-nose syndrome (WNS) but also caused death. The results from their experiment are shown in the graph below. Based on this graph, which of the following hypotheses would be the MOST logical hypothesis for further studies?
other species of bats injected with European fungus will experience death.
The reliability of primary scientific literature is strengthened by the ________ process, in which the work is examined by other leaders in the same field. For instance, a scientific paper examining the evolution of tetrapods would be reviewed by other evolutionary biologists and paleontologists.
peer review
Scientists are human beings and, like all human beings, are susceptible to personal and group biases that may influence how they interpret evidence. Before original research work is accepted and added to a growing body of scientific understanding, perhaps even contributing to our understanding of an important scientific theory, it must be scrutinized by experts in the field who have no direct connection to the research under review. The main mechanism for doing this is
peer-reviewed publications
A researcher studying a group of individuals of the same species living and interacting in a shared environment is said to be working at the level of a
population
You are reading an article written by Neil Shubin et al. regarding the pectoral fin of Tiktaalik roseae in the peer-reviewed journal Nature. Dr. Shubin is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and is employed by The University of Chicago. This article represents a ________ literature presentation of ________ research.
primary;basic
A scientific hypothesis must be constructed with which of the following characteristics?
provides a reasonable explanation to a question and is consistent with current observations, it must also be testable and falsifiable
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), by the end of September 2014, roughly 8,000 cases of whooping cough had been reported in California for that year; more than 250 patients (mostly infants and young children) were hospitalized with 58 of them requiring intensive care. Several other childhood diseases that were once common but then eradicated through high vaccination rates have returned since the antivaccination movement grew in the 1990s. The epidemiological data collected by the CDC indicates this resurgence of childhood diseases is most likely the result of
reduced herd/community immunity.
A scientific hypothesis must be ____; if not, science can not evaluate it.
testable
A patient is coughing and producing a wheezing sound as she breathes; she also has a fever. She goes to the doctor who listens to her chest, takes X-rays of her chest, and determines that she probably has something called croup. Which of the following are the facts in this scenario?
the patient is coughing, wheezing, and has a fever
Which of the following statements is true?
the scientific method or process can help people make informed medical and environmental decisions
During the study period the bats were monitored for signs of WNS. In this experiment, the independent was ________ and the dependent variable was ________.
the type of exposure to Geomyces destructans; whether the bats became sick with WNS
Land biomes are most commonly defined by
their climate and physical characteristics that influence the dominant plant life and, subsequently, animal life in them
In science, when a hypothesis or group of hypotheses supported by repeated experimental evidence holds true through time, it can be developed into a
theory
Announcing "scientific" findings in a press conference before they have been published in an established scientific journal suggests
there may be reason to question the validity of the results or conclusions.
A species of butterflies gradually becomes darker in color over many generations; this is an example of which characteristic of living organisms?
they can evolve as groups
What characteristic is NOT shared by all living organisms?
they make their own energy
The roots of a sunflower plant growing downward while the shoot grows upward and the flower turns toward the sun are examples of what characteristic of all living organisms?
they sense the environment and respond to it
Whenever we ________, we are proceeding scientifically.
try to solve a problem by systematically evaluating the plausibility of various solutions
Is it important for scientists to communicate their results to fellow scientists?
yes
Is it possible for scientists to study events that happened to animals or plants that lived millions of years ago?
yes
Which of the following would be a positive consideration when evaluating a researcher's expertise regarding a particular scientific claim?
*A. The researcher has a PhD, MD, or at least an MS and years of experience in the field in which he or she is making a scientific claim. B. The researcher stands to gain in prestige if others accept the claims being made. C. The researcher has an ideological, political, or religious belief that will be supported by the scientific claims being made. D. The researcher stands to make money if others accept the claims being made.
During the study period the bats were monitored for signs of WNS. Which group is the control group?
1
Therapeutic touch (TT) is a type of "energy" medicine that involves the practitioner moving his or her hands over the energy field of the patient, without actually touching the patient, but redirecting the energy field to heal the patient. If a researcher were to design a survey of TT practitioners and their patients to determine the validity of TT, which of the following questions would NOT be helpful in determining the validity of the survey?
A. Is the researcher a regular TT practitioner or patient? B. Are any non-TT patients included in the survey? *C. How old is the researcher? D. Do the survey participants have a working relationship with the researcher or were they paid to participate?
Which of the following would NOT help evaluate if the dowser is a fraud?
A. It would help to know if the dowser had any previous knowledge of the cemetery. B. It would help to at least use X-rays or some other means to examine what might, or might not, be buried in the ground. *C. It would help to know the dowser's age and affiliation with other dowsers. D. It would help to actually dig up the site to determine if the dowser's predictions were accurate.
Which of the following would NOT be a situation where your own scientific literacy would be helpful in decision-making?
A. Should I send my child to a school that requires my child be vaccinated according to the vaccination schedule recommended by the Centers for Disease Control? B. Should I pay to store umbilical cord blood when my baby is born? C. Should I vote to support a new oil pipeline through a sensitive natural area? *D. Is the space travel in Star Wars really possible?
A scientist publishes a paper in a peer-reviewed journal; this paper is later retracted. Which of the following (if found to be true) is NOT a legitimate reason for the retraction?
Although the findings were not replicated by other researchers, some studies indicated that the original paper might suggest a valid line of reasoning and warrants further investigation.
Rick has high blood pressure and decides to try an herbal supplement recommended by his friend. Which of the following questions should Rick ask first to scientifically evaluate his friend's recommendation before he begins taking the herbal supplement?
Has this herbal supplement been studied in a clinical trial by trained medical professionals?
You discover that a holistic treatment called "ear candling" involves putting the end of a wax-coated cloth cone (a "candle") into your ear and lighting it on fire, letting it burn to within about four inches of your face, and then repeating with a new candle. This process is supposed to remove tension, anxiety, and stress from your body. Which of the following statements or questions would be MOST helpful in scientifically evaluating these claims?
Have there been any reproducible, peer-reviewed studies that compared ear candling in individuals who have ear infections with those who do not have ear infections?
Which of the following statements about the process of science is accurate?
Science is a systematic method of procedures designed to answer questions by evaluating evidence.
Which of the following is NOT a reason to scientifically evaluate the plausibility of claims made by a psychic who states that a missing child is alive and located in a particular area of the countryside months after the child went missing?
There is anecdotal evidence suggesting that psychics can predict the location of missing children.
A tissue is defined as a
a group of cells that performs a unique set of tasks in the body
A scientific paper that combines results from several cohort studies and a case-control study would be considered a(n) ________-analysis.
meta
Nitrogen has seven protons, seven neutrons, and seven electrons. What is the atomic mass of nitrogen?
polar, covalent
Experimentation is the primary, but not only, means used to verify or refute the _____ made by a hypothesis.
predictions
You are reading an article in National Geographic regarding the evolution of humans. This would be an example of ________ literature.
secondary
Which of the following questions could NOT be used to develop a testable hypothesis?
should everyone drink bottled water only
Once supported by a predictable experimental outcome, a scientific hypothesis
still cannot be considered to have been proven true