Triggers & Paradigms
What term describes an unexpected, accidental discovery made during an investigation?
What is serendipity?
Before Marshall & Warren's discovery, peptic ulcers were believed to be caused by this lifestyle factor.
What is stress (or spicy food)?
Von Helmont challenged the ancient view of plant growth proposed by this Greek philosopher.
Who was Aristotle?
Percy Spencer was working with magnetrons, which are vacuum tubes used in this military technology.
What is radar?
The primary data gathered by von Helmont relied on this type of numerical observation
What is quantitative data?
This trigger occurs when a scientist questions long-held medical or scientific beliefs.
What is challenging a prevailing dogma?
This is the name of the spiral-shaped bacterium that causes most peptic ulcers.
What is Helicobacter pylori (or H. pylori)
Q: The long-held paradigm prior to von Helmont stated that plants gained their mass by doing this.
What is "eating" (or assimilating) soil?
This specific snack food in Spencer's pocket melted, triggering his investigation.
What is a candy bar (chocolate/peanut bar)?
Marshall & Warren sought primary data to establish this specific type of direct relationship between H. pylori and ulcers.
What is a cause-and-effect relationship?
Re-evaluating an established scientific idea using improved modern equipment is an example of this reason for investigating.
What is testing the conclusion of a previous investigation?
It was widely believed the stomach could not host bacteria because of this harsh chemical environment.
What is high acidity / low pH (pH 1.5–2.0)?
How many years did von Helmont run his controlled plant growth experiment?
5 years
Name one of the two food items Spencer deliberately tested in front of the active magnetron.
What is popcorn (corn kernels) or a whole raw egg?
This concept explains why scientific investigations do not always follow a rigid step-by-step path.
What is the non-linear nature of scientific methodology?
Percy Spencer’s investigation is a primary example of using scientific knowledge to do this.
What is developing new technologies?
State the hypothesis tested by Marshall and Warren regarding the cure for peptic ulcers.
What is "antibiotic therapy will cure the bacterial infection/ulcers"?
State the hypothesis tested by von Helmont regarding soil mass and plant growth.
What is "plant growth will not change/decrease the dry mass of the soil"?
To create a high-density thermal field, Spencer built an enclosure made out of this material.
What is metal?
Why was animal testing a failed step in Marshall & Warren's experimental design?
What is because H. pylori specifically infects humans (pigs failed to contract it)?
Why do scientists seek secondary-sourced data before or during an investigation?
To build on existing knowledge, identify gaps, or verify previous findings
How did Barry Marshall deviate from traditional clinical methods to satisfy Koch’s Postulates?
What is by conducting self-experimentation (swallowing the bacterial broth)?
Because gas exchange and photosynthesis were unknown in the 17th century, von Helmont came to this incorrect conclusion.
What is "all plant mass comes exclusively from water"?
State the core hypothesis Percy Spencer tested during his exploratory investigations.
What is "foods will cook when exposed to microwave radiation"?
How did von Helmont deviate from standard biological practices of the early 17th century?
What is by introducing quantitative mass measurements into biology (which was previously qualitative)?