Final answer:
All unauthorized experiments are indeed prohibited to ensure safety and maintain scientific standards. Larger sample sizes are preferred in experiments, and experimentation is only one type of scientific investigation, not the only type. Ethical considerations play a role in determining what kinds of experiments, especially on humans, can be conducted.
Step-by-step explanation:
It is true that all unauthorized experiments are prohibited. This is for reasons of safety, ethical considerations, and scientific integrity. Unauthorized experiments could lead to unintended consequences, including harm to the experimenters or others, and can jeopardize legitimate research efforts.
Experiments allow scientists to make cause-and-effect claims, but they must be designed and conducted responsibly. In fact, larger sample sizes are generally preferred because they can increase the reliability of the findings. However, experiments can and do raise ethical concerns, particularly when they involve human subjects. Not all experiments can be performed on humans due to ethical standards that protect individuals from potential harm. Nonetheless, experimentation is a critical part of the scientific process, despite not being the only method of investigation.
It is also worth noting that data which does not support a hypothesis is still useful as it can provide insights into refining the hypothesis or developing new directions of inquiry. Moreover, scientists have identified viruses that can infect fungal cells, underscoring the breadth of scientific discovery that different types of experiments can yield.
For safety, certain rules are set in place in a laboratory setting, such as not eating or drinking to avoid ingestion of dangerous substances, cleaning all materials thoroughly post-experiment, and exercising caution around heat sources.