Here's why:

* Deductive Reasoning: Starts with general principles or theories and applies them to specific cases. The biologist is taking the general knowledge about cancer cell multiplication from scientific journals and applying it to their specific research or understanding.

Let's break it down:

1. General Principle: Scientific journals contain research findings and established knowledge about how cancer cells multiply.

2. Specific Case: The biologist wants to learn more about the specific mechanisms involved in cancer cell multiplication.

3. Application: The biologist reads the journal articles to understand the general principles and then applies that knowledge to their own research or understanding of cancer cell multiplication.

In contrast, inductive reasoning would involve observing specific instances (e.g., observing the behavior of cancer cells in a lab) and then drawing general conclusions.

While both methods are essential in science, deductive reasoning is more relevant in the scenario described because the biologist is starting with established knowledge and applying it to their specific research.