ERIC Number: EJ1437671
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Jun
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1449-6313
EISSN: EISSN-1839-2946
How Science Is Built by Human Endeavour: A Taxonomic Example
Léonie J. Rennie
Teaching Science, v70 n2 p18-29 2024
The Australian Curriculum Science has "Patterns, Order and Organisation" as one of its six Key Ideas. In the biological sciences, the structural patterns revealed by observing living things are used to order and organise them in a hierarchical system of binomial nomenclature, in which living things have a generic name and a specific name, based on their morphological features. Each organism, thus described, will have its own unique name. But how does it get that name, and what happens when reputable sources have different names? This article demonstrates how science deals systematically with such disagreements by documenting a taxonomic journey into the naming of one particular zoological species, the Shark Bay pearl oyster. This scientific journey intertwines science with history and geography, as well as social, cultural, and political perspectives. It is truly a story of science as human endeavour.
Descriptors: Science Instruction, Teaching Methods, Taxonomy, Zoology, History, Naming, Geography, Science Curriculum, Elementary Secondary Education, Biological Sciences, Social Influences, Cultural Influences, Political Influences, Foreign Countries, Indigenous Populations, Marine Biology
Australian Science Teachers Association. P.O. Box 334, Deakin West, ACT 2600, Australia. Tel: +61-02-6282-9377; Fax: +61-02-6282-9477; e-mail: publications@asta.edu.au; Web site: https://www.asta.edu.au/resources/teaching-science-journal/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A