Innovations in Biology and Technology
Instructions
Step 2: Innovations in Biology and Technology – Writing Assignment (9%)
Addresses course outcomes 1-4:
– recognize and explain how the scientific method is used to solve problems
– make observations and discriminate between scientific and pseudoscientific explanations
– weigh evidence and make decisions based on strengths and limitations of scientific knowledge and the scientific method
– use knowledge of biological principles, the scientific method, and appropriate technologies to ask relevant questions, develop hypotheses, design and conduct experiments, interpret results, and draw conclusions
Write a paper about your chosen topic.
– Your paper should consist of a title page, introduction, several paragraphs addressing the questions for your chosen topic, conclusion, and references.
– The outline you wrote in step 1 should be your starting point, but you can make edits to the topics and details you include, and the organization of the content. Take advantage of any feedback received.
– Your paper should be 750-1500 words, excluding references and the title page.
– Use a minimum of three (3) reliable information sources. These may or may not be the same resources that you found in step 1 of this assignment.
– The majority of your paper should be written in your own words, your own writing style and structure, fully paraphrasing information from the selected information sources (just changing a few words in a sentence is not enough). Your paper should consist of less than 10% direct quotes. Quotation marks must be used at the start and end of a direct quote, followed by an in-text citation. When paraphrasing, you should also use text citations to acknowledge the source.
– A list of references in APA format should be included at the end.
The originality of your assignment will be checked with Turnitin. Please review the originality report (https://libguides.umgc.edu/turnitin-students), and if needed, submit a revised assignment before the submission deadline.
Topic selection:
Bioprinting. Your father has been on a waitlist for a new kidney for several years, but no match has been found. You hear about bioprinting on the news and decide to do some research so you can tell him about it. Start with an explanation of what bioprinting is, and how the process works. Relate it to what you have learned about cells, tissues, and organs. What are the benefits of bioprinting? What are the current challenges? What are stem cells and how can they be used for bioprinting? What is bioink and how is it used for bioprinting? Include a least two examples of current research in this field, and conclude with predictions for the future. Finally, do you believe that your father could benefit from this technology in his lifetime?
Sample Solution
Innovations in biology and technology have greatly advanced human knowledge, offering new insight into the physical world. At the heart of all this progress is the scientific method, which has provided a reliable approach to understanding nature since its first formalization by Francis Bacon in 1620 (Chauvet & Chahinian, 2015). The scientific method is based on building upon tested facts through rigorous experimentation and observation. This process involves gathering data through experiments or observations, forming theories about what these facts mean, testing those theories with further experiments and ultimately refining them until they are accepted as accurate representations of reality (Gardner, 2000).
The primary benefit of using the scientific method lies in its ability to offer an objective basis for making decisions. By relying on empirical evidence rather than popular opinion or personal beliefs, scientists can establish reliable conclusions that are more likely to be true (Kuhn et al., 1966). This is especially important when considering issues such as climate change and disease prevention where there may be significant economic or social implications. Scientific methods ensure that decisions are made based on factual evidence rather than assumptions or speculation.
Though it has been successful at providing reliable results over centuries of use, some people challenge the validity of the scientific method due to pseudoscientific claims that lack empirically verifiable evidence (Morton & Helmenstine 2019). Pseudoscience often presents arguments that look similar to real science but lack rigorous testing or peer review elements necessary for determining if a theory can truly explain natural phenomena. As such it should not be considered trustworthy when making decisions about complex topics like medicine and engineering projects (Tuttle et al., 2017).
In conclusion, innovations in biology and technology rely heavily on using the scientific method to provide accurate results that can help inform important decisions. Relying on scientifically gathered data instead of speculation reduces bias while helping us gain insight into our physical environment without relying on untested claims lacking empirical verification.
