Discovery science

High school (ages 12+)
Thinking & Learning

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/discovery-science

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the contrast with traditional science?Differs from hypothesis-driven science by prioritizing data exploration before explicit hypothesis formation
2. What is the interdisciplinary applications?Applied across diverse fields including medicine, genomics, proteomics, hydrology, psychology, and astronomy
3. What is discovery science and how is it like being a detective?Discovery science is a way scientists use computers to look for new patterns in huge amounts of data, just like a detective finds clues to solve a mystery.
4. How does discovery science differ from the old hypothesis-driven method?The old method starts with a guess and tests it, while discovery science first looks for surprising patterns and then makes new guesses based on those patterns.

Discovery-based science: A scientific methodology that emphasizes the exploration of large datasets to uncover emergent patterns and generate hypotheses.
Inductive reasoning: A logical process where specific observations and data are used to infer general principles or theories.
Big Data: Extremely large datasets that may be analyzed computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations.
Hypothesis generation: The process of formulating testable scientific questions or predictions based on preliminary observations or data analysis.