Plate tectonics might seem like a routine topic from a 7th grade textbook, but in the 1970s, plate tectonics was cutting-edge science. The theory had only gained widespread acceptance over the previous ten years and subsequently attracted scads of scientists looking to open up new intellectual frontiers. Walter Alvarez was one of them, but his research into plate tectonics was destined to be sidelined. An intriguing observation would eventually lead him, his collaborators, and the rest of science on an intellectual journey across geology, chemistry, paleontology, and atmospheric science — towards solving one of the great mysteries in Earth's history: What happened to the dinosaurs?
This case study highlights these aspects of the nature of science:
For further details logon website :
http://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/alvarez_01
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At left, Luis and Walter Alvarez stand by the rock layers near Gubbio, Italy, where unusually high traces of iridium were found at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary. Was this evidence of an ancient supernova or an ancient asteroid impact? And what, if anything, did it have to do with the dinosaur extinction? |
- Science can test hypotheses about events that happened long ago.
- Scientific ideas are tested with multiple lines of evidence.
- Science relies on communication within a diverse scientific community.
- The process of science is non-linear, unpredictable, and ongoing.
- Science often investigates problems that require collaboration from those in many different disciplines.
For further details logon website :
http://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/alvarez_01
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