Editing Openai/680845c9-c944-8012-bafb-fa1bab1e9277 (section)

==== The scientific method is a framework for systematically understanding natural phenomena, and it typically involves: ====
# Observation: Identifying a phenomenon or pattern (e.g., people with similar symptoms tend to have a common infectious agent present).
# Hypothesis Formation: Proposing an explanation (e.g., a specific virus causes the disease).
# Prediction: If the hypothesis is correct, certain outcomes should be observable (e.g., isolation of the virus from affected individuals, replication of disease in animal models).
# Experimentation / Testing: Controlled experiments are designed to validate or falsify the hypothesis (e.g., infecting cell cultures or animals with the agent).
# Analysis and Reproducibility: Independent labs should be able to replicate results using consistent methodology.
# Peer Review and Publication: Findings are scrutinized by experts before being accepted into the body of scientific knowledge.

It is important to note that for ethical and practical reasons, not every step is always performed on human subjects — this is not unique to virology but common in all biological and medical sciences.