Bio 10 Chapter 1
What does "openness to revision" have to do with going from hypothesis to theory?
-Every assertion regarding natural world is subject to challenge and revision based solely on evidence
What is homeostasis?
the tendency toward a relatively stable equilibrium between interdependent elements, especially as maintained by physiological processes.
How does the word "theory" differ between everyday speech usage and scientific communication?
In everyday speech, a theory can be little more more than a hunch. It is an unproven idea that may or may not have have any supportive evidence. In science, meanwhile a theory is a general set of principles, supported by evidence, that explains some aspect of nature
In what one major way does the living world differ from the non-living world?
All living things are able to both grow and reproduce themselves. In some cases growth may not be readily apparent, but each living organism will increase in cellular size, volume or number throughout its lifespan. Living things also reproduce themselves and pass their genetic information on to offspring. This can occur either sexually, by combining the genes of two genetically distinct parents, or asexually, by creating a genetic copy of a single organism.
In separating "living" from "non-living" what 8 characteristics do living things have? What is an example of an exception to these 8?
Cellular organization Reproduction Metabolism Homeostasis Heredity Response to stimuli Growth and development Adaptation through evolution
What is biology's "chief unifying principle?"
Evolution is the most important thread that runs through biology: Gradual modification of populations of living things over time, with this modification sometimes resulting in the development of new species
Are "fact" and "theory" the same? What is the difference?
Fact: something observed -- this charged thing attracts/repels this other charged thing with this force when they're this far apart, for instance. Theory: a group of laws working together, combined with attempted explanations as to why they work, to explain a group of related phenomena -- electromagnetic theory, for instance.
What does it mean when the author writes that life is organized in a hierarchical manner? In the hierarchy of life where does the biosphere fit?
In this hierarchical organization, each higher level exists only with all lower levels intact (single celled organism don't include tissue and organ levels). Importantly, each higher level provides novel or emerging properties not found at any lower level, an important feature of complex systems. This phenomenon is known as 'the whole is more than the sum of its parts'.
How does Pasteur's experiment fit the "scientific method?"
Pasteur's experiment has all of the hallmarks of modern scientific inquiry. It begins with a hypothesis and it tests that hypothesis using a carefully controlled experiment. This same process -- based on the same logical sequence of steps -- has been employed by scientists for nearly 150 years. Over time, these steps have evolved into an idealized methodology that we now know as the scientific method.
What does probability have to do with science?
Probability is the measure of the likelihood that an event will occur.Probability is quantified as a number between 0 and 1 (where 0 indicates impossibility and 1 indicates certainty) The higher the probability of an event, the more certain that the event will occur.
What is science?
Science is also a body of knowledge about the natural world. A collection of unified insights about nature.