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  • 《世界科学展望》

    Scientific view of the world

    What would be a scientific  view of the world ?
    ::什么是世界的科学观?

    It could be said that the scientific view of the world is based on proven answers to specific questions. For example, "How old are recently identified ? What are the consequences of in a certain gene ? How does the help maintain ?". These questions have definite answers which can help expand the scientific view of the world. Questions that cannot be answered with definitive answers, questions that cannot be proved with evidence , are not based on science . The scientific view of the world would not include answers to such questions.
    ::可以说,世界的科学观点是基于对具体问题的经证实的答案。例如,“最近确定了什么年代?某一基因的后果是什么?如何维持?”这些问题有明确的答案可以帮助扩大世界的科学观点。不能以明确答案回答的问题,不能以证据证明的问题,不是以科学为依据的。世界的科学观点不包括这些问题的答案。

    A Scientific View of the World
    ::《世界科学展望》

    Science is based on the analysis of observations made either through our or by using special equipment. Science therefore cannot explain anything about the natural world that is beyond what is observable. The term supernatural refers to entities, events, or powers regarded as being beyond nature, in that such things cannot be explained by scientific means. They are not measurable or observable in the same way the natural world is and are therefore considered to be outside the realm of scientific examination.
    ::科学基于对通过我们或通过使用特殊设备进行观测的分析,因此科学无法解释任何超出可观测范围的自然世界。超自然一词是指被视为超越自然的实体、事件或力量,因为不能用科学手段解释这些事物。它们无法以与自然世界相同的方式衡量或观测,因此被视为不在科学检查的范围之内。

    When a natural occurrence that was previously considered supernatural is understood in terms of natural causes and consequences, it has a scientific explanation. For example, the flickering lights sometimes seen hovering over damp ground on still evenings or nights are commonly called  Will-o'-the-wisp ( Figure  ). This phenomenon looks like a lamp or flame and is sometimes said to move away if approached. A great deal of folklore surrounds the legend, such as the belief that the lights are lost souls or fairies attempting to lead travelers astray. However, science has offered several potential explanations for Will-o'-the-wisp-- from burning marsh gases to glowing to that glow in a similar way to lightning bugs.
    ::当以前被认为是超自然现象的自然现象被理解为自然原因和后果时,它就有一个科学的解释。例如,在静静的夜晚或夜晚,在潮湿的地面上有时看到闪烁的灯光,这通常被称为“威尔-奥-乌-乌斯-乌斯-乌斯-乌斯普 ” ( 图表 ) 。 这种现象看起来像灯光或火焰,有时在接近时据说会消失。 传说周围有许多民间传说,比如相信灯光是迷失的灵魂或仙子,试图引导旅行者误入歧途。 然而,科学为威尔-奥-特-维斯普(Will-o'o-the-wisp)从燃烧沼泽气体到以类似于闪电虫的发光方式发光提供了几种潜在解释。

    Will-o'-the-wisp

    There is no single path that leads to scientific knowledge, and scientists do not follow a fixed set of steps when attempting to discover the answer to scientific questions. There are, however, certain specific features of scientific investigation . You do not have to be a professional scientist to think like a scientist. Everyone, including you, can use certain features of scientific thinking to analyze issues and situations in everyday life.
    ::没有一条通往科学知识的单一道路,科学家在试图找到科学问题的答案时没有遵循一套固定的步骤。然而,科学研究有某些具体特征。你不必是一个专业科学家才能像科学家一样思考。 包括你在内的每个人都可以使用科学思维的某些特征来分析日常生活中的问题和情况。

    In science, it is assumed that the universe is a vast single system governed by basic rules, and thus, things that are learned from studying one part of the universe can be applied to other parts of the universe. For example, the same principles of motion and gravitation that explain the motion of falling objects on Earth also explain the orbit of the planets around the sun, and galaxies, as shown in the Figure  . Thus nature, and what happens in nature, can be understood. However, as discussed below, as more and more information and knowledge are collected and understood, scientific ideas can change. Even though scientific knowledge usually stands the test of time, it cannot answer all questions.
    ::在科学中,可以假定宇宙是一个庞大的单一系统,它受基本规则的制约,因此,从研究宇宙某一部分学到的东西可以适用于宇宙的其他部分。例如,解释地球上坠落物体运动的同样的运动和引力原则也解释了太阳周围行星和星系的轨道,如图所示。因此,自然和自然中发生的事情是可以理解的。然而,如下文所述,随着越来越多的信息和知识被收集和理解,科学思想可以改变。即使科学知识通常经得起时间的考验,但不能回答所有问题。

    • Solar system - Planets
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    • Ferris Wheel
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    With some changes over the years, similar principles of motion have been applied to different situations. The same scientific principles that help explain planetary orbits can be applied to the movement of a Ferris wheel.

    Nature Can Be Understood
    ::大自然可以理解

    In science, it is presumed that events in the universe happen in patterns that can be understood by careful study. Scientists believe that with the help of instruments that extend the human senses and our own careful observation and analysis, people can discover patterns in all of nature that can help us understand all facets of life, the world, and the universe.
    ::在科学方面,人们可以假定宇宙中的事件是以一种可以通过仔细研究来理解的模式发生的。 科学家们相信,在扩展人类感知和我们自己仔细观察与分析的工具的帮助下,人们可以发现各种自然模式,帮助我们理解生命、世界和宇宙的方方面面。

    Scientists think of nature as a single system controlled by natural laws. Scientists strive to increase their understanding of the natural world by discovering natural laws. Laws of nature are expressed as scientific laws. A scientific law is a statement that describes what always happens under certain conditions in nature.
    ::科学家们把自然视为受自然法控制的单一系统。科学家们努力通过发现自然法来增进他们对自然界的了解。自然法则被表述为科学法。科学法是一种描述在自然性质的某些条件下总是发生的事情的声明。

    An example of a scientific law is the law of gravity, which was discovered by Sir Isaac Newton (see the Figure  ). The law of gravity states that objects always fall towards Earth because of the pull of gravity. Based on this law, Newton could explain many natural events. He could explain not only why objects such as apples always fall to the ground, but he could also explain why the moon orbits Earth. In addition to the laws of gravity, Newton also discovered the laws of motion. His laws of motion allowed him to explain why objects move as they do.
    ::科学法的一个例子是重力法,这是由Isaac Newton爵士发现的(见图 ) 。 重力法规定,物体总是由于重力的拉动而落入地球。 根据这项法律, 牛顿可以解释许多自然事件。 他不仅可以解释为什么苹果等物体总是落在地上, 而且也可以解释为什么月球绕着地球运行。 除了重力法外,牛顿还发现了运动法。 他的动作法允许他解释为什么物体会这样移动。

    Newton - Gravity
    Did Newton discover the law of gravity when an apple fell from a tree and hit him on the head? Probably not, but observations of nature are often the starting points for new ideas about the natural world.

    Scientific Ideas Can Change
    ::可改变的科学理念

    Science is a process for developing knowledge. Change in knowledge about the natural world is expected because there is often room for new observations which may challenge current views. No matter how well one theory explains a set of observations, it is possible that a different theory may explain them just as well or better, or may also encompass a wider range of observations. Scientists are always testing and attempting to improve theories. Scientists know that even if there is no way to gain complete knowledge about something, an increasingly accurate understanding of nature will develop over time.
    ::科学是发展知识的过程。 自然世界知识的改变预期会发生,因为常常有新的观察空间,这可能会挑战当前的观点。 无论一个理论如何很好地解释一套观察,不同的理论都有可能同样或更好地解释这些观察,也可能包含更广泛的观察。 科学家们总是在测试和试图改进理论。 科学家们知道,即使没有办法获得关于某事的完整知识,对自然的日益准确的理解也会随着时间的流逝而发展。

    The ability of scientists to make progressively more accurate predictions about the natural world, from determining how the smallest living organisms develop antibiotic resistance , to how "non-living" continue to evolve, from how a cancerous tumor develops its own supply, to how mutations lead to and other diseases, from trying to predict earthquakes, to calculating the orbit of an asteroid, provides evidence that scientists are gaining an understanding of how the world works.
    ::科学家能够对自然世界作出越来越准确的预测,从确定最小生物体如何发展抗生素抗药性,到“非生物”如何继续演变,从癌症肿瘤如何发展自己的供应,到突变如何导致和其他疾病,从试图预测地震,到计算小行星的轨道,这些都证明科学家正在了解世界如何运作。

    Scientific Knowledge Can Stand the Test of Time
    ::科学知识能够经受时间的考验

    Continuity and stability are as much characteristics of science as change is. Although scientists accept some uncertainty as part of nature, most scientific knowledge stands the test of time. A changing of ideas, rather than a complete rejection of the ideas, is the usual practice in science. Powerful ideas about nature tend to survive, grow more accurate and become more widely accepted.
    ::科学的连续性和稳定性与变化一样是科学的特征。 尽管科学家接受某些不确定性作为自然的一部分,但大多数科学知识都经受着时间的考验。 思想的改变,而不是完全拒绝思想,是科学的惯常做法。 有关自然的强大思想往往能够生存、更加准确和被广泛接受。

    For example, in developing the theory of relativity, Albert Einstein did not throw out Issac Newton’s laws of motion but rather, he showed them to be only a small part of the bigger, cosmic picture. That is, the Newtonian laws of motion have limited use within our more general concept of the universe. For example, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) uses the Newtonian laws of motion to calculate the flight paths of satellites and space vehicles.
    ::比如,在开发相对论时,艾伯特·爱因斯坦并没有抛弃伊萨克·牛顿的动作法则,相反,他展示了它们只是宇宙大图中的一小部分。 也就是说,牛顿运动法则在我们更普遍的宇宙概念中限制了使用。 比如,美国国家航空和航天局(NASA)使用牛顿运动法则计算卫星和空间飞行器的飞行路径。

    The theory of evolution by natural selection is a classic example of a biological theory that has withstood the test of time. Developed over 150 years ago, a myriad of data has been collected to support Charles Darwin's theory. So far, no scientific information has been uncovered to contradict or counteract this .
    ::自然选择的进化理论是一个生物理论的典型例子,它经受住了时间的考验。 150多年前发展起来,收集了大量数据来支持查尔斯·达尔文的理论。 到目前为止,还没有发现任何科学信息来对抗或抵制这一理论。

    Science Cannot Offer Answers to All Questions
    ::科学无法对所有问题提供答案

    There are many things that cannot be examined in a scientific way. There are, for instance, beliefs that cannot be proved or disproved, such as the existence of supernatural powers, supernatural beings, or the meaning of life. In other cases, a scientific approach to a question and a scientific answer may be rejected by people who hold to certain beliefs.
    ::有许多事情是无法以科学方式研究的。 比如,有些信仰是无法证明或反驳的,比如超自然力量的存在、超自然生物或生命的意义。 在另一些情况下,对问题的科学态度和科学答案可能被持有某些信仰的人所拒绝。

    Scientists do not have the means to settle moral questions surrounding good and evil, or love and hate, but they can sometimes contribute to the discussion of such issues by identifying the likely reasons for certain actions by humans and the possible consequences of these actions.
    ::科学家没有办法解决围绕善恶或爱与仇恨的道德问题,但他们有时可以通过查明人类某些行动的可能原因以及这些行动可能产生的后果来帮助讨论这些问题。

    Summary
    ::摘要

    • Science is based on the analysis of things that humans can observe either by themselves through their senses, or by using special equipment. Science therefore cannot explain anything about the natural world that is beyond what is observable by current means. Supernatural things cannot be explained by scientific means.
      ::科学的基础是分析人类可以通过自己的感官或者使用特殊设备来观察的东西。 因此科学无法解释任何超出当前观察手段的自然世界。 超自然事物无法用科学手段解释。

    Review
    ::回顾

    1. What makes someone a "scientist?"
      ::是什么使某人成为"科学家"?
    2. Describe a scientific law.
      ::描述科学法。
    3. What is meant by nature can be understood ?
      ::大自然意味着什么可以理解?
    4. Discuss why science cannot answer all questions.
      ::讨论为什么科学无法回答所有问题。

    Explore More
    ::探索更多

    Use this resource to answer the question that follows.
    ::使用此资源回答以下问题 。

    1. Summarize the principles of biologist's E.O. Wilson's presentation.
      ::概述生物学家威尔逊的演讲原则。