Essay D. When scientists work on questions that are closely…

Essay D. When scientists work on questions that are closely tied to identities important in humans, it become increasingly hard to be objective.  In class, we discussed Bateman’s principles (the idea that all males should be promiscuous and females coy) as an example of confirmation bias.  In the box below respond to the following prompts: A. Define confirmation bias (2 pts) B. What were the social norms in Darwin and Bateman’s times around women and men that could have influenced Bateman’s expectations for the results of his experiment? How do these beliefs manifest in Bateman’s principles?  (2 pts) C. Describe an example of confirmation bias in either Bateman’s original experiment and analysis or in the spread of Bateman’s principles. (2 pts)

 In the Ames test, mutagenicity is normally tested on a stra…

 In the Ames test, mutagenicity is normally tested on a strain of bacterium  (Salmonella typhimurium) that cannot synthesize the amino acid histidine. Therefore, these bacteria require histidine in the growth plate to survive. A researcher performs the Ames test to evaluate the mutagenicity of a newly synthesized compound and notices that  Salmonella typhimurium is living on a histidine-free growth plate. What can be concluded from these results?

In a species of salamander, there are two forms, red and yel…

In a species of salamander, there are two forms, red and yellow. As the yellow form becomes less common due to predation and the red form more common, the yellow form becomes less likely to be eaten and more likely to survive and reproduce. The yellow form then becomes more common and roles of red and yellow forms reverse. This is an example of