Scientific Evidence

To see if evidence supports their theory, scientists use the scientific method.

• True

• False

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The scientific method uses experiments and evidence to test scientific theories.

• True

• False

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The pictures below show the continents moving on Earth's surface over time. Use the picture to answer any questions that follow. Which theory does this picture depict?

• the theory of evolution

• the theory of superposition

• the theory of buoyancy

• the theory of plate tectonics

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About 1.5 million Americans are afflicted with a disorder called Alzheimer's disease. The disease is associated with memory loss and dementia. When scientists began studying the disease, they found that Alzheimer's patients had elevated levels of aluminum in their brains. This caused some people to believe that ingesting aluminum leads to Alzheimer's. Some people quit drinking out of aluminum cans; others threw away their aluminum cookware. Later research found that certain proteins are more closely associated with Alzheimer's than the concentration of aluminum in the brain. Which of the following does this example best illustrate?

• Science is a static field that does not accept new theories.

• Science is an ever-changing field in which new evidence can invalidate existing theories.

• Science is a static field in which data are collected to fit existing theories.

• Science is an ever-changing field in which new theories are always more valid than old theories.

Unprotected exposure to the sun’s rays is a factor in the development of skin cancer. Which   of the following is an example of empirical evidence that supports this hypothesis?

• a model of a skin cell showing where DNA is in the cell

• a skin cancer survivor’s recollection that he had a bad sunburn as a child

• data demonstrating a relationship between amount of sun exposure and incidences of skin cancer

• an advertisement for a sun block product that claims it protects skin for ultraviolet rays

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What can increase our confidence in a scientific claim?

• scientific evidence

• other people agreeing with you

• internet articles

• good reviews

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What is evidence?

• an experiment

• an observation that supports a conclusion

• a scientist's opinion about a topic

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NGSS.HS-LS4-1

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What is the most important thing in science?

• evidence

• discoveries

• experiments

• explosions

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Scientific theories are based on

• general assumptions of how systems work.

• mathematical principles that can be proven true.

• large amounts of data collected over time.

• observations from within only one scientific discipline.

The picture below shows a mole rat, a mammal that lives underground, that still has eyes but is blind. The presence of useless eyes on a mole rat is evidence of which scientific theory?

• the theory of cells

• the theory of relativity

• the theory of evolution

• the theory of superposition

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