Historical Perspectives - Most scientific knowledge and technological advances develop incrementally from the labors of scientists and inventors. Although science history includes accounts of serendipitous scientific discoveries, most development of scientific concepts and technological innovation occurs in response to a specific problem or conflict. Both great advances and gradual knowledge building in science and technology have profound effects on society. Students should appreciate the scientific thought and effort of the individuals who contributed to these advances. Today, Hutton's uniformity of process principle is used to interpret the structure of landing sites on Mars.
Theories just become stronger as more supporting evidence is gathered.
They provide a context for further research and give us a basis for prediction. For example, the Theory of Plate Tectonics explains the movement of lithospheric plates. Laws are fundamentally different from theories. They are universal generalizations based on observations of the natural world, such as the nature of gravity, the relationship of forces and motion, and the nature of planetary movement. Scientists, in their quest for the best explanations of natural phenomena, employ rigorous methods.