The World's Best Book Summaries
What is biodiversity preservation? How do scientists attempt to preserve endangered animal species from becoming extinct? The threats to biodiversity have been recognized and acknowledged for some time. Today, biodiversity preservation efforts include legislative changes, creation of national parks, and lab preservation of endangered species’ DNA material. Keep reading to learn about biodiversity preservation.
What are the four rules of science? What rules do scientists have to abide by when they construct their theories? According to Thomas Kuhn, the author of The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, rules of science fall into four major categories. These include scientific theories, instruments, high-level concepts, and personal rules for scientists. Keep reading to learn about the four rules of science, according to Thomas Kuhn.
What is the Holocene extinction? When did it start and what is the main driving force behind species disappearance during the Holocene epoch? The Holocene extinction, also known as the Anthropocene extinction, is the ongoing mass species extinction event that started at the end of the ice age. It is attributed to climate change and human activity (e.g. habitat destruction and species dispersal). Keep reading to learn about Holocene extinction.
What is the process of scientific discovery? How do scientific discoveries start and what does it take for them to become accepted facts and theories? The process of scientific discovery starts when scientists find an anomaly that can’t be explained within the current paradigm. This process ends when the paradigm has changed so that the anomalous event is now expected. Keep reading to learn about the process of scientific discovery.
Who is Jerome Kagan? How did his longitudinal research on babies show how introversion and extroversion can be identified at an early age? Jerome Kagan is a developmental psychologist that started a multi-year study in 1989. That study showed that reactivity as an infant was a predictor of temperament later in life. Keep reading to find out more about Jerome Kagan and his research.
What causes anomalies in science? How do scientists deal with anomalous events that cannot be explained within the existing paradigm? Recognizing anomalies in science is a key part of making new discoveries. When scientists discover an anomaly—that is an event or phenomenon that can’t be explained within the existing paradigm—they either brush it aside or establish a new paradigm where the anomalous event is then expected. Keep reading to learn more about anomalies in science.
What caused the End Ordovician extinction? When did it start and which animals were affected? The End Ordovician extinction was the first of the Big Five mass extinction events in the history of the Earth. The term actually refers to two extinction periods, which together wiped out 86% of the marine species. Scientists attribute it to a sudden cooling of the climate that began around 444 million years ago. Read about the causes and effects of the End Ordovician extinction.
How does Kuhn explain a scientific revolution? What spurs a revolution into motion and how do we know that a scientific discipline has been revolutionized? According to Thomas Kuhn, a scientific revolution happens when new discoveries do not fit into the existing scientific frameworks. When that happens, scientists have to break with traditional knowledge and start looking for a new model that fits this new information. Read more about Thomas Kuhn’s scientific revolution theory.
What are ammonites? When did they become extinct? What are the suggested causes behind ammonites’ extinction? Ammonites are a group of coil-shelled mollusk animals that went extinct 66 million years ago. Scientists don’t know the exact cause of ammonites’ extinction, but it is theorized that they died as a result of ocean changes due to the asteroid strike. Keep reading to learn about ammonites’ extinction causes.
What is a paradigm shift in science? How does a paradigm shift change scientists’ observations and interpretations of the objects of their study? A paradigm shift in science occurs when there is a fundamental change in the conceptual and experimental framework that upholds the whole scientific discipline. A paradigm shift doesn’t just change how scientists interpret their observations, but also what they see (i.e. the observations themselves). Keep reading to learn about paradigm shift in science and what happens in its aftermath.