Introduction

Science is the systematic process by which we learn about the world. Scientists are basically professional students and explorers. They are constantly investigating the world around us to learn more about the how and why it works as it does.

When you first started learning something, did you instantly know everything about it? At your first piano lesson, were you able to play Ragtime by Scott Joplin? In the first day of Spanish, were you able to speak and read fluently to your classmates and teacher? When you first got behind the wheel of a car, where you able to brake without jerking, shift smoothly, and merge on and off the interstate without concern?

The answer to all of these questions is no. You needed time to learn the keys and the notes on the piano, to learn vocabulary and how to conjugate verbs, and how to coordinate your hand, eye and foot to maneuver the car and navigate traffic smoothly.

This is what scientists do daily. They learn, share the knowledge they have obtained, and continue to study to learn more. They work with what they know, understanding that tomorrow, they will know more, which may change their working hypotheses/theories about a concept. Scientists are on the frontier of what we know. This is the difference between a scientist and a Spanish teacher – the teacher already knows the vocabulary and how to conjugate the verbs. When they teach their classes, they are regurgitating what they already know. Scientists are not only speaking the language but also expanding the vocabulary and trying to teach others what they know as they learn it. They are on the edge of knowledge.

Most of the science we learn in school and see in the world around us is tried and true.  It’s already gone through the process of rigorous testing and investigation.  We didn’t witness the learning, changing, and uncertainty that went along with that process.

Coronavirus (aka COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2) is a topic on the edge of the science we know. It is still being studied and we learn new things about it daily. This is why the information changes so quickly. It’s not that science doesn’t know what it’s doing but that it is constantly learning new details, getting a better picture of Coronavirus, and adjusting hypotheses and theories as it goes. Humans just aren’t used to this rapid change in information and behavior. We like certainty and don’t have all the information yet about coronavirus; however, we learn more daily.

There is a LOT of information available on the coronavirus; some of this information is correct and reliable, while other information is incorrect, unreliable, and spreads dangerous misinformation about the coronavirus, how it is spread, and how to protect yourself and others. It is important to be able to determine true science from pseudoscience, fact from fiction, and reliable sources from unreliable ones.

In this lesson, we will learn what makes a study scientific, the difference between science and pseudoscience, how to identify bias and read a scientific journal article, and how to determine if a source is credible.  I have included some links to resources in the introduction for this activity.  I highly recommend you access these outside sources to understand better the concepts discussed in this activity. We will use the knowledge and skills we develop in this activity in other projects and assignments in this course.

First, it’s important that we understand the difference between science and pseudoscience.