Natural Sciences Essay Ideas

1. Facts are needed to establish theories but theories are 

needed to make sense of Facts

From this prompt, an essay can be written. The facts and theories below are some examples:

• Evolution, as a fact, gathered by various observations and theories, itself proposed and founded the theory of natural selection to explain the mechanisms of evolution

• From observations gathered by Neil Bohr about the number of electron pairs surrounding their central atoms, the Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) theory was launched, in which is a chemical model used to predict the geometry of individual molecules – this then helps to make sense of the arrangement and number of valence electrons

• Referring to experimental data gathered by Mendel, observations about the colors of pea plants were made, which led to the establishment of his inheritance theory to make sense of the genetic passing of traits onto offspring in regards to color

 2. Given access to the same facts, how is it possible that there  can be disagreement between experts in a discipline?

From this prompt, an essay can be written. Some ideas are presented below:

• Various experts within a discipline, despite being given access to the same facts, might have altered interpretations due to personal experience, resulting in disagreement - in the essay, expand on how personal experience can do that by referring to real-life examples

• Due to diverse observations collected through separate pieces of evidence gathered within personal experiments and studies, diverse theories arise from the same facts, which results in a clash between experts in a discipline - in the essay discuss more about how different theories arise from the same facts as a result of evidence

• Some experts might even disagree with the facts themselves, which then results in diverse beliefs and theories within a discipline that can easily go against the theories of other experts - in the essay, explore the validity of the facts and the birth of diverse theories as a result of that

The Evolution of the Theory of Evolution

By means of persistent curiosity of how life diversified into such a vast array of forms, Darwin in 1859 established his theory of evolution. He was able to provide an understanding of how species change over time through the suggested laws: law of variation, law of inheritance, law of selection, and principles of natural selection. These scientific laws were used to predict the results of certain initial conditions on planet earth and his theory was used to supply a logical explanation to why things happen as they do. But due to his lack of scientific knowledge about DNA and genetics, Darwin's laws were based on observations only. The theory provided a basic structure for scientists to work around and when discoveries were made, Darwin's establishments were integrated within the new biological findings. Therefore the theory of evolution has undergone evolution itself as a result of the progressive insightful discoveries scientists have established over the years.

In the early 20^th century, scientists became knowledgeable about the presence of heritable factors that contributed to evolution. This was coincidentally found during the nuclear age, where nuclear weapons and energy were being explored; scientists exposed bacteria, molds, flies, and other organisms to radiation and observed that genetic changes happen as a result of exposure to radiation. This led to the conclusion that chemicals can alter DNA structure; this was the basic introduction to variation and mutations. From such discoveries, it was assumed that random errors, resulted from accidents and damages, play a huge role in variation and the consequent diversity of life. However this was found to be incorrect when more advanced findings were included through molecular and cellular biology. From Rosalind Franklin's x-ray diffraction, the structure of DNA was discovered and from there, advanced technology allowed biologists to acquire knowledge and obtain information about genes, chromosomes, symbiosis, and more. In addition the sequencing of the human genome took place. Therefore an integral model of evolution was formed, and from comprehending such knowledge, the occurrence of evolution is debatable, as it is not accepted by everyone.