Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

The Scientific Method02:40

The Scientific Method

63.6K
Research is what makes the difference between facts and opinions. Facts are observable realities, and opinions are personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may or may not be accurate. In the scientific community, facts can be established only using evidence collected through empirical research.
63.6K
Hypothesis: Accept or Fail to Reject?01:17

Hypothesis: Accept or Fail to Reject?

28.5K
The outcome of any hypothesis testing leads to rejecting or not rejecting the null hypothesis. This decision is taken based on the analysis of the data, an appropriate test statistic, an appropriate confidence level, the critical values, and P-values. However, when the evidence suggests that the null hypothesis cannot be rejected, is it right to say, 'Accept' the null hypothesis?
There are two ways to indicate that the null hypothesis is not rejected. 'Accept' the null...
28.5K
Types of Hypothesis Testing01:11

Types of Hypothesis Testing

26.9K
There are three types of hypothesis tests: right-tailed, left-tailed, and two-tailed.
When the null and alternative hypotheses are stated, it is observed that the null hypothesis is a neutral statement against which the alternative hypothesis is tested. The alternative hypothesis is a claim that instead has a certain direction. If the null hypothesis claims that p = 0.5, the alternative hypothesis would be an opposing statement to this and can be put either p > 0.5, p < 0.5, or p...
26.9K
Accuracy and Errors in Hypothesis Testing01:13

Accuracy and Errors in Hypothesis Testing

369
Hypothesis testing is a fundamental statistical tool that begins with the assumption that the null hypothesis H0 is true. During this process, two types of errors can occur: Type I and Type II. A Type I error refers to the incorrect rejection of a true null hypothesis, while a Type II error involves the failure to reject a false null hypothesis.
In hypothesis testing, the probability of making a Type I error, denoted as α, is commonly set at 0.05. This significance level indicates a 5%...
369
Null and Alternative Hypotheses01:16

Null and Alternative Hypotheses

10.5K
The actual hypothesis testing begins by considering two hypotheses. They are termed  the null hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis. These hypotheses contain opposing viewpoints.
The null hypothesis, denoted by H0 is a statement of no difference between the variables—they are not related. This can often be considered the status quo. As  a result if you cannot accept the null, it requires some action.
The alternative hypothesis, denoted by H1 or Ha, is a claim about the...
10.5K
Statistical Hypothesis Testing01:16

Statistical Hypothesis Testing

3.3K
Hypothesis testing is a critical statistical procedure facilitating informed, evidence-based decisions. It begins with a hypothesis, which is a tentative explanation, or a prediction about a population parameter. This hypothesis can be either a null hypothesis (H0), indicating no effect or difference, or an alternative hypothesis (Ha), suggesting an effect or difference.
Statistical significance measures the probability that an observed result occurred by chance. If this probability, known as...
3.3K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) as wetland ecosystem carbon stock regulators.

Scientific reportsยท2025
Same author

Effects of snake fungal disease (ophidiomycosis) on the skin microbiome across two major experimental scales.

Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biologyยท2024
Same author

Testing androgen-induced immunosuppression: Environmental androgens as a model system for steroid-immune interaction.

Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiologyยท2024
Same author

The Spatial Ecology of Nuisance Crocodiles: Movement Patterns of Relocated American Crocodiles (<i>Crocodylus acutus</i>) in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

Animals : an open access journal from MDPIยท2024
Same author

The effect of androgen exposure on cerebral lateralization in the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis).

General and comparative endocrinologyยท2023
Same author

The Inference of the Evolution of Immune Traits as Constrained by Phylogeny: Insight into the Immune System of the Basal Diapsid.

Animals : an open access journal from MDPIยท2022

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 13, 2025

Setting Limits on Supersymmetry Using Simplified Models
07:46

Setting Limits on Supersymmetry Using Simplified Models

Published on: November 15, 2013

8.7K

Testable but not falsifiable?

Brian I Crother1, Christopher M Murray2

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, LA, 70402, USA.

Cladistics : the International Journal of the Willi Hennig Society
|November 13, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Phylogenetic hypotheses are falsifiable using character evidence, challenging claims of their untestability. This research clarifies that historical scientific hypotheses are not inherently unfalsifiable.

More Related Videos

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents
06:15

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents

Published on: July 10, 2017

13.0K
Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal
06:45

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal

Published on: April 18, 2017

6.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 13, 2025

Setting Limits on Supersymmetry Using Simplified Models
07:46

Setting Limits on Supersymmetry Using Simplified Models

Published on: November 15, 2013

8.7K
A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents
06:15

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents

Published on: July 10, 2017

13.0K
Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal
06:45

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal

Published on: April 18, 2017

6.3K

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Systematics
  • Philosophy of science

Background:

  • A recent comment questioned the falsifiability of historical hypotheses.
  • This raises concerns about the scientific validity of phylogenetic inference.

Discussion:

  • Phylogenetic hypotheses are falsifiable through empirical character evidence.
  • They are tentative propositions, subject to revision based on new data.
  • Falsification does not require a time machine, only robust evidence.

Key Insights:

  • Phylogenetic hypotheses are scientifically testable and falsifiable.
  • Character evidence is the primary tool for testing these hypotheses.
  • The comment's premise regarding unfalsifiable historical hypotheses is contested.

Outlook:

  • Further research should focus on robust methods for phylogenetic hypothesis testing.
  • Clarifying the falsifiability of historical scientific claims is crucial.
  • This work contributes to understanding the nature of scientific evidence in evolutionary studies.