LIFE SCIENCE FINAL YA HEARD

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 researcher, funded by a pharmaceutical company, is testing the clinical effectiveness and safety of a new vaccine. A researcher, funded by a public grant, is testing the clinical effectiveness and safety of a new vaccine. A federally funded researcher is working on developing a genetically engineered microbe to quickly digest oil spills. 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.

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.

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? The study involved only 12 participants, but sweeping conclusions were made by the author. These participants were not randomly sampled; they were picked specifically for their symptoms. Furthermore, there was no control group. The findings could not be replicated, and there were many peer-reviewed studies, including millions of participants that found no evidence for the claims of the original paper. The primary author of the paper received large amounts of money as a paid expert for lawyers who were suing companies based on the author's claim. The author would also benefit financially in other ways, such as patents on alternative products. 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.

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.

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? What are the credentials and possible bias or agenda of the person(s) making the claim? Has the claim been published in a peer-reviewed, reputable scientific journal? Does the scientific study purporting to support the claim meet the standards of the scientific method? Are there a lot of people, including celebrities, endorsing the product as a healthy weight-loss method?

Are there a lot of people, including celebrities, endorsing the product as a healthy weight-loss method?

Which of the following would be a fact? Specific pathogens are directly responsible for specific diseases and conditions. A fungal infection is solely responsible for the spread of white noses and associated higher mortality across bat populations and species. Bats with white noses have been observed in the wild. A fungal infection causes bats to wake up repeatedly during the winter and use up their fat reserves.

Bats with white noses have been observed in the wild.

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. The researcher would need some people willing to hug someone else and fill out a survey stating how they felt before and after the hug. This should be repeated several times. The researcher would need some people willing to keep a daily log of how they feel during the day, how many hugs they get, and which days they feel the best at the end of the day. The researcher would need some people willing to complete a scientifically developed life history hugging survey. Through the survey, participants will document their own life histories of hugs (average number of hugs per day and how long they lasted) and emotional well-being. Once the survey is completed, the researcher will collate and evaluate the evidence. He or she should repeat this with a few different groups of people.

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.

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. If snails live in moist habitats, then snails will be eaten more frequently by birds. If birds consume snails, then they will have a higher body mass index than birds that do not eat snails. If snails that are sick leave their shells so that birds will consume them, then snail populations are protected from illness.

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.

An individual claims to be able to detect the presence of graves in an old cemetery by using a "dowsing" or "divining" rod. The rod is a forked twig held in front of the individual as he walks across the cemetery. The "dowser" (person who is using the dowsing rod) claims that depending on which way the twig moves (up and down or side to side) he can determine if there is a grave there and the gender and age of the individual buried at that spot. Which of the following would NOT help evaluate if the dowser is a fraud? It would help to know if the dowser had any previous knowledge of the cemetery. It would help to actually dig up the site to determine if the dowser's predictions were accurate. 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. It would help to know the dowser's age and affiliation with other dowsers.

It would help to know the dowser's age and affiliation with other dowsers.

Which of the following would be a theory? Specific pathogens are directly responsible for specific diseases and conditions. A fungal infection is responsible for the spread of white noses and associated higher mortality across bat populations and species. Bats with white noses have been observed in the wild. A fungal infection causes bats to wake up repeatedly during the winter and use up their fat reserves.

Specific pathogens are directly responsible for specific diseases and conditions.

Which of the following statements is true?Once a hypothesis has been proposed, it can never be challenged. A valid scientific hypothesis is self-evident and does not need to be tested by experimentation. If properly designed, experiments always prove hypotheses to be wrong. The scientific method or process can help people make informed medical and environmental decisions.

The scientific method or process can help people make informed medical and environmental decisions.

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? Precious time finding the child could be lost. Manpower could be wasted looking in a location when there is no evidence indicating the child might be there. It could cause additional and unnecessary grief when the new hopes and expectations of the parents are dashed. There is anecdotal evidence suggesting that psychics can predict the location of missing children.

There is anecdotal evidence suggesting that psychics can predict the location of missing children.

Your own scientific literacy would NOT be helpful in answering which of the following questions? Should I take a cinnamon capsule every morning to help regulate my blood sugar? 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? Will my cell phone cause me to have cancer? Which movie should I watch this weekend?

Which movie should I watch this weekend?

Is it important for scientists to communicate their results to fellow scientists?

Yes. The quality and accuracy of the scientific work can be enhanced by input, further review, and possibly even repetition by other scientists working in the same field.

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

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

The group of 18 bats that were "sham injected" represents a ________ group that experienced ________.

control; no change in the independent variable

Which of the following represents conducting an experiment? dialing a telephone number comparing prices of computers checking midterm grades online predicting the outcome of a basketball game

dialing a telephone number

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.

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.

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

Which of the following is LEAST likely to include unchecked bias when making scientific statements? peer-reviewed scientific journals political groups religious groups marketing groups

peer-reviewed scientific journals

Experimentation is the primary, but not only, means used to verify or refute the ________ made by a hypothesis.

predictions

Scientific understanding can always be challenged, and even changed, with new ways of observing and with different interpretations. For example, new tools and techniques have resulted in new observations and the discovery of additional information. This has resulted in revised ways of understanding how molecules are moved across the plasma membrane of cells. Hence, there is no certainty in science, only degrees of probability (likelihood) and potential for change. In light of this understanding, which of the following statements is MOST meaningful?Scientific knowledge is absolute knowledge. Scientific knowledge is based on current knowledge. Scientific knowledge is a static and unchanging collection of facts. Scientific knowledge is a rigid collection of invariable facts.

scientific knowledge is based on current knowledge.

Once supported by a predictable experimental outcome, a scientific hypothesis

still cannot be considered to have been proven true

Whenever we ________, we are proceeding scientifically.

try to solve a problem by systematically evaluating the plausibility of various solutions