Are Our Scientific Assumptions Correct?

In the clue-coyote activity Dig It! student archaeologists are asked to place artifacts from a hearth site in chronological order. The method for completing this puzzle is based on one logical assumption:

If two artifacts are found sequentially in different layers of earth, the lower artifact will date from an earlier time period than the upper one.

Science bases theories upon assumptions, which are logical and are mostly true. But in some instances these assumptions can be false.

Teachers, have your students complete the Dig It! activity and then discuss the basic assumption through which they ordered the artifacts. Ask them under what conditions might this assumption be incorrect. A few to consider are:

1. Streambed mixing
2. Sand dune deflation (artifacts found on sand dunes may be subject to mixing because sand in dunes may be blown away over the years, collapsing the sand structure that separates artifacts vertically)
3. The reuse of ancient tools by more recent people

If your students are studying the scientific method, discuss why assumptions and hypotheses are essential parts of the scientific method. What are other basic assumptions upon which scientific hypotheses and theories are based?

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