Intro to Biology

DNA

A characteristic of life that says that living things reproduce with this substance

Homeostasis

A characteristic of living things that concerns maintaining a steady state of balance

Evolve

A characteristic of living things that happens at the population level, change over time

Sense and Respond

A characteristic of living things that they do in reaction to the environment

Obtain energy

A characteristic that living things must get from the environment to support metabolism

Pfiesteria

A dinoflagellate that attacked fish that was used in Discover Biology that provided a case study of the application of using the scientific method

Scientific fact

A direct and repeatable observation of any aspect of the natural world

Scientific Method

A logical approach to testing a problem or question

Statistics

A mathematical science that uses probability theory to estimate the reliability of data

One

A well designed experiment should have this number of variables

Arsenic

According to Dr. Felisa Wolfe-Simon and her colleagues one bacterium has substituted this substance for phosphate in its DNA

Hypothesis

An educated guess around which an experiment is designed in order to answer a question about the natural world

Multicellular organisms

Any complete and entire living thing that has many specialized types of specialized cells to make up the entire organism

Organisms

Any complete and entire living things

Variable

Characteristic of any object or individual organism that can change

Heterotrophs

Consumers, those that eat the producers such as plants, are called this

Chromosomes

Genetic material in humans is spread among 46 of these, or 23 pair of these and contain genes

Biological Hierarchy

Levels of organization from smallest to largest is: atoms-> molecules>Cells>tissues>organs>organ system>organism>population>community>ecosystem>biome>biosphere

Cell

One of the characteristics of life that is the basic unit of structure and function

Unicellular

Organisms such as bacteria and some algae have their entire existence in a one cell state called

Photosynthesis

Plants are able to capture light energy and convert it into a chemical potential energy in the form of a sugar molecule, and also release oxygen by this autotrophic (building up) process

Draw conclusions

Step five of the scientific method that states whether or not the hypothesis was supported or rejected by the data

Test predictions, set up the experiment

Step four of the scientific method that sets up the plan, completes the study, and records data

Make observations or ask a question

Step one of the scientific method

Make predictions from the hypothesis

Step three of the scientific method that specifies the future outcome if a certain set of conditions are set up

Make a hypothesis to explain observations

Step two of the scientific method that is in the form of a statement

Metabolism

The capture, storage, and use of energy by living things is called this

Dependent variable

The characteristic that changes as a result of the independent variable

Y

The dependent factor in an experiment is graphed on this axis

Control Group

The group in the experiment that is maintained under a set of standard conditions with no change in the independent variable

Theory

The hypothesis is accepted as this when scientists have collectively repeated the experiment and accepted its results as the gold standard throughout the test of time

ATP (Adenosine tri-phosphate)

The immediately usable form of energy storage used in metabolism

X

The independent factor (one being manipulated)of an experiment is graphed on this axis

Independent variable

The one condition that scientists change in the experimental group

Treatment Group

The other group in the experiment that is exposed to the independent variable or experimental factor

Plasma membrane

The outer boundary of the cell that is water repelling and acts as the cell's gate keeper

Experimental group

The part of the experiment in which the scientist has manipulated one factor or variable as compared to the control and is the independent factor

Charles Darwin

The person who proposed the theory of natural selection and evolution

Technology

The practical application of scientific techniques and principles

Controlled experiment

The researcher measures the value of the dependent variable for 2 groups of study that are the same except for the one group is exposed to the independent variable

Biology

The science that studies living things

Chemistry

The science that studies the elements that make up matter, their interactions and physical properties

Experimental factor or variable

The thing for which you are testing to see its affects in an experiment

Sexual Reproduction

The type of reproduction in which 2 haploid cells join to create a genetically variant zygote(first cell).

Asexual Reproduction

The type of reproduction which results in one cell splitting into 2 identical cells

Science

This is a body of knowledge about the natural world and an evidence-based process for generating that knowledge

Biological evolution

This is a change in the overall genetic characteristics of a group of organisms over multiple generations of parents and offspring

Observation

This is a description, measurement, or record of any object or phenomenon

Gene

This is a segment of DNA that codes for distinct genetic traits

Food chain

This is a simplified portion of a food web that portrays a sequence of who eats whom in a particular habitat

Control group

This is the baseline or normal part of an experiment

Cellular Respiration

This metabolic process breaks apart (catalyzes) the sugar molecules to release the chemical potential energy of sugar and capture it in an immediately usable form of energy storage

Germ theory of disease

This specific theory says that some diseases are caused by microorganisms

Testable and falsifiable

To be valid a hypothesis should be

False

True or False: A hypothesis can be proven to be true.

True

True or False: Correlation does not establish causation.

True

True or False: The scientific method has limits.

Correlation

Two or more aspects of the natural world behave in an interrelated manner

Artificial selection

When humans intervene and breed specific animals for specific traits this is called