How Science Works

Science is always changing. But that’s good! It means science can tell us new things about creation.

It all starts with the scientific method. And the scientific method starts with observation. Scientists watch the universe and ask questions. Why do things fall down? How do birds fly?

Then, a scientist forms a hypothesis. A hypothesis is an educated guess. (Why do things fall down? Maybe a force pulls them toward something else.)

But science doesn’t stop there. Researchers test that hypothesis. Sometimes it fails. Sometimes it proves true.

With enough testing, a hypothesis might become a theory. With a good theory, scientists can make predictions.

But sometimes, even widely accepted theories fail.

Here’s one example. Centuries ago, most scientists believed in a geocentric universe. They thought the Sun revolved around Earth. Then scientist Galileo Galilei studied space with a telescope.

Galileo discovered that the universe didn’t work that way. It looked more like the hypothesis proposed by Nicolaus Copernicus. In the early 1500s, Copernicus suggested a heliocentric universe. In that model, Earth revolved around the Sun.

Galileo published his discoveries. They made people so mad that he went to prison in 1633.

But now we know Galileo was right.

Many theories try to explain the universe without God. They claim it all started randomly with the Big Bang billions of years ago. But with new information, science can change.

Researchers have now discovered galaxies that don’t fit their expectations. How will science adapt to the new data?

Ivo Labbe is the lead researcher behind the discovery. He says we should learn to be surprised. That’s what science is all about!