Renzo D.

Romero
Department of Biology
College of Arts and Sciences
Our Lady of Fatima University
Science
• Came from the Latin word “scientia” which means
knowledge
• system of acquiring knowledge through
systematic experimentation and methodology
• most often referred to a way of pursuing
knowledge
• Through the 19th century, science was closely
linked to philosophy that it is now
• Philosophers defined science as big question
mark
Branches of Science
• Natural sciences –which study the material world
• Social sciences –which study people and societies
• Formal sciences –like mathematics. It is often
excluded as they do not depend on empirical
observations.
• Applied sciences –are disciplines which use science
like engineering and medicine
THE SCIENTIFIC
METHOD OF RESEARCH
 Scientific Process
• observation, identification, experimental investigation and
theoretical explanation of natural phenomena
• conducted in different ways and levels (e.g., molecular
level, ecosystem level).
• theories are tested by scientific method / experimentation
• discoveries can also be made by gathering new
information
Understanding Science
ØCuriosityis the key
ØThe Scientific Process is a firm series of steps
Five Stages:
(1) Observations are made regarding natural phenomena.
(2) These observations lead to a hypothesis that tries to
explain the phenomena. As mentioned, a useful
hypothesis is one that is testable because it makes
specific predictions
(3) Experimentation is conducted to determine if the
predictions are correct.
(4) The data from the experiment are analyzed.
(5) The hypothesis is accepted or rejected.
Hypothesis Vs. Theory
Hypothesis – proposed explanation for a
natural phenomenon.
– educated guess based on previous
observations or experimental studies.
Theory – a broad explanation of some aspect of
the natural world that is substantiated
by a large body of evidence.
Common features of experiment
(1) Data are often collected in two parallel manners
ØControl and experimental sample
(2) Data analysis
ØStatistically significant differences
ØApply statistical analyses to determine if the control
and experimental samples are different from each
other because of the single variable (not by random
chance)
DEVELOPMENT OF
SCIENCE
v Ancient Science
v Medieval Science
v Renaissance / Early Modern Science
v 19th Century / Industrial Revolution
v 20th Century / Modern Science
 Ancient Science

Babylonian Greek Persian Chinese

3
5 7 9

Stone & Iron

Age
10

1
Indus-Hindu

2 6 8
4

Sumerian Roman Arabic

Egyptian
Ancient Science (8th Century)
• Science was distinguished as the
knowledge of nature, and the things which
are true in every community
• No clear boundaries separating philosophy
and experimental science
• First philosophers were particularly
interested in astronomy
Stone Age (Paleolithic Age)
Iron Age
• Started in Western Asia called Mesopotamia 3,500
BCE
• Livelihood is primarily agricultural in nature
• Credited for the first writing process called “cuneiform”
• Irrigation of fields through dikes and canals
• Plant crops and livestock for family consumption and
trade
• Trades in neighboring places were done by the
invention of sailboat
• Probable means of transportation was through
animals
• Located in the border of the famous Euphrates
and Tigris rivers in Iraq
• Ruled by:
Ø Hammurabi
ü promulgated his code of law
Ø Nebuchadnezzar
ü construction of the “Hanging Gardens of
Babylon”
• Babylonians adopted the Sumerian sexagesimal
system of counting in units and intervals
• Nile – longest
river in the world
(4,000 miles)
• The only source
of water in Egypt
• POLYTHEISM
• Scientific works done by its wise and gifted men leaved a vital
imprints in the development of science as the foundation and
pillars of Western civilization
Ø Socrates: applied philosophy to study human things,
including human nature, the nature of political communities
and the human knowledge itself
Ø Aristotle: most influential Greek philosopher, gave an
emphasis on the “theoretical” steps of deducing universal
rules from raw data
Ø Hippocrates: oath prescribing physician’s responsibility
ØHipparchus and Ptolemy: developed Astronomy by calculating
celestial motion
ØGalen: his focus was on medicine, he emphasized “blood-
letting” as a remedy for almost any ailment
ØPhythagoras: Phythagorean theorem
ØArchimedes: formulated the principle of mechanics
Odometer

Alarm Clock
Crane
• Romans made use of the wealth of
scientific knowledge acquired from
the Greeks
• Invented concrete made use for
big structures, such as domes,
colosseum, monuments, stadiums,
and other permanent structures
 Yakhchal

Qanat
Baghdad Battery

Sulfuric Acid

Postal Service
Wind mill The Concept of Human Rights

Animation Taxation System

Flying Machine
Coffee

Toothbrush
University Hospital
 Plastic Surgery

Cataract Surgery
Medieval Science (8th – 17th century)

• Some ancient
knowledge were lost
during the fall of the
Roman empire
• General field of science
or natural philosophy
were preserved
through the works of
the early Latin
encyclopedists like
Isidore of Seville
Medieval Science (8th – 17th century)
• The House of Wisdom was
established in Abbasid-era
Baghdad, Iraq
• It is considered as the major
intellectual center, during
the Islamic Golden age,
were Muslim scholars uses
the Aristotelian’s view point
by emphasizing
experimental data
• Late middle ages, Western
Europe became the new
geographic center of
science
Renaissance & Early Modern Science
• Contradictions began in with Science and faith and
between Philosophy and the other sciences
• Some of the philosophers during the early modern period:
a. Copernicus: formulated the heliocentric model of the
solar system unlike the geocentric model of Ptolemy
b. Galileo Galilei: Father of the modern science, made
innovative use of experiments and mathematics
Renaissance & Early Modern Science
New technology of the
printing press was widely
used in the Northern
Europe
a. Rene Descartes: used
mathematics in order to
study nature
b. Francis Bacon:
emphasized the
importance of experiment
over contemplation
19th Century / Industrial Revolution
• The term “Scientist” • Charles Darwin: published
were coined the Origin of the Species,
the evolutionary
• Discovery of X-ray by explanation of biological
William Roentgen complexity
• John Dalton: developed
the idea of atoms
20th century and beyond
• Einstein’s Theory of Relativity
and the development of
quantum mechanics
• Development of Artificial
fertilizer made possible global
human growth
• The structure of ATOM and its
nucleus was elucidated
20th century and beyond
• Extensive use of scientific
innovation led to antibiotics
and increased life expectancy,
revolutions in transportation
• In the last quarter of 20th
century, led to the revolution in
information technology and the
rise of the global internet,
mobile computing, including
smartphones