This activity also provides all students opportunities to develop understandings about inquiry, the nature of science, and biological evolution as described in the National Science Education Standards . Different kinds of questions suggest different kinds of scientific investigations. Current scientific knowledge and understanding guide scientific investigations. Technology used to gather data enhances accuracy and allows scientists to analyze and quantify results of investigations. Scientific explanations emphasize evidence, have logically consistent arguments, and use scientific principles, models, and theories.
Species evolve over time.
Many biological theories can be thought of as developing in five interrelated and overlapping stages. The first is a period of extensive observation of nature or analyzing the results of experiments. Darwin's observations would be an example of the former. In the course of answering these questions, scientists infer explanations or make conjectures as working hypotheses. Third, in most cases, scientists submit hypotheses to formal, rigorous tests to check the validity of the hypotheses.