The stereotype of a scientist (a recluse who speaks in a jumble of technical jargon) doesn't exactly paint a picture of someone whose work depends on communication and community, but in fact, interactions within the scientific community are essential components of the process of science. Scientists don't work in isolation. Though they sometimes work alone (fussing over an experiment in the lab, trekking through the Amazon, scribbling on a notepad at a desk), scientists are just as likely to be found emailing colleagues, arguing with other scientists over coffee, sitting in on a lab meeting, or preparing conference presentations and journal articles. In science, even those few working entirely on their own must ultimately share their work for it to become part of the lasting body of scientific knowledge.
Asteroids and Dinosaurs: Unexpected twists and an unfinished story
Plate tectonics might seem like a routine topic from a 7th grade textbook, but in the 1970s, plate tectonics was cutting-edge science. The theory had only gained widespread acceptance over the previous ten years and subsequently attracted scads of scientists looking to open up new intellectual frontiers. Walter Alvarez was one of them, but his research into plate tectonics was destined to be sidelined. An intriguing observation would eventually lead him, his collaborators, and the rest of science on an intellectual journey across geology, chemistry, paleontology, and atmospheric science - towards solving one of the great mysteries in Earth's history: What happened to the dinosaurs?
This case study highlights these aspects of the nature of science:
• Science can test hypotheses about events that happened long ago.
• Scientific ideas are tested with multiple lines of evidence.
• Science relies on communication within a diverse scientific community.
• The process of science is non-linear, unpredictable, and ongoing.
• Science often investigates problems that require collaboration from those in many different disciplines.
Read the article "Asteroids and Dinosaurs: Unexpected Twists and an Unfinished Story" to study an example where science relies on communication within a diverse scientific community and where science investigates a problem that requires collaboration from those in many different disciplines. Pay particular attention to the "How Science Works" flowchart as it applies to this example.
https://d2l.depaul.edu/content/enforced/760872-ENV_101_301_1055/alvarez_wflow.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=DhteHDdgSIqy7SmW6wOlwqsw2&ou=760872
Now that you have read the article "Asteroids and Dinosaurs: Unexpected Twists and an Unfinished Story," complete the Alvarez worksheet and submit it to the course dropbox.