Understandings about scientific inquiry Scientific investigations involve asking and answering a question and comparing the answer with what scientists already know. Scientists use different kinds of investigations, depending on the questions they are trying to answer. Simple instruments, such as magnifiers and rulers, provide more information than scientists obtain using only their senses. Scientists develop explanations using observations. Scientists make the results of their investigations public.
Scientists review and ask questions about the results of other scientists' work.
Organisms can survive only in environments in which their needs are met. Each plant has different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction. Life cycles of organisms Plants have life cycles that include developing into adults, reproducing, and eventually dying. Plants closely resemble their parents. Many characteristics of an organism are inherited from the parents of the organism, but other characteristics result from interaction with the environment.