Biology: What is Life?

cell theory

states that all cells come from preexisting cells and that all life is made up of cells; all organism are composed of cells

conclusion

states whether the hypothesis is valid or not

gene

the basic units of heredity and are made up of DNA

prediction

the expected outcome of testing a hypothesis

photosynthesis

the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water; generally involves the green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a byproduct

atom

the smallest particles of elements; basic structural units of elements; combine to make molecules

mutation

the source of differences in DNA; cause changes in the DNA

nucleus

the structure that house DNA; organelle containing DNA

science

the systematic inquiry into all aspects of the physical world; based on general underlying principles

Organ System

-a group of organs that work together in performing vital body functions

Natural Selection

-a process in which individuals inherit traits that are more likely to survive

Organ

-a specialized structure composed of several different types of tissues that together perform specific functions

Ecosystem

-all the organisms in a given area, along with nonliving factors, with which they interact -a biological community and its physical environment

Organism

-an individual living thing, such as a bacterium, fungus, protist, plant, or animal

Tissue

-an integrated group of cells with a common function, structure, or both

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

-an organism's genetic material is inherited information carried by genes; a set of instructions for life

Respond to Environment

-living things need to respond to the environment in order to get energy (food), for defense, and for survival

Homeostasis

-maintaining an internal stable conditions in their environment

Organelle

-membrane bound structure that carry out specific functions

Cell

-the basic unit of life and makes up all living organisms

Biosphere

-the entire portion of Earth inhabited by life -all of the planet's ecosystems

Biology

-the scientific study of life

Evolution

-theory that organisms evolved over time

1. Organized, made up of cells 2. Reproduce 3. Grow and Develop 4. Acquire materials and energy 5. Respond to the environment 6. Regulate/Homeostasis 7. Are composed of Cells 8. Have genetic material 9. Evolve

9 things living things have in common

adaption

Inherited traits that help organisms produce more healthy offspring become increasingly common in the population over many generations

scientific theory

a general and reliable explanation of natural phenomena developed through extensive and reproducible observations; are formulated in ways that can potentially be disproved; involve both inductive and deductive reasoning

species

a group of closely related organisms that are very similar to each other and are usually capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring

community

a group of interacting populations

population

a group of organisms of the same species

control

a possible factor in an experiment that is held constant

hypothesis

a proposed explanation based on limited evidence

domain or kingdom

a taxonomic category of the highest rank, grouping together all forms of life having certain fundamental characteristics in common

element

all matter consists of this; can't be broken down into smaller parts and can't be converted by natural chemical reactions

scientific method

an important tool of scientific inquiry; consists of six interrelated elements

natural law

an observable law relating to natural phenomena; do not change over time or distance

binomial system

biologists use this to name organisms

extinction

caused by human interference; if mutations that help an organism to adapt do not occur, a changing environment may doom a species to this

prokaryotic cells

composed of bacteria and archea. Greek meaning is "before nucleus". They are simple organism that lack organelles, anucleated, and are always unicellular; do not contain a nucleus; the genetic material is found in the cytoplasm

plasma membrane

composed of phospholipids; forms the external boundary of the cytoplasm of a cell and that regulates the passage of molecules in and out of the cytoplasm

eukaryotic cells

contain a nucleus that houses genetic material; they also contain other types of organelles; composed of animals, plants, fungi, and protists. Greek meaning is "true nucleus". They are complex, organelles, multicellular, and unicellular

experiment

designed to support or refute the hypothesis

spontaneous generation

emergence of life from nonliving matter

variable

factors that can be manipulated to test the hypothesis to see if they are the cause of the observation

question

form a question about the phenomenon

molecule

form the building blocks of cell

deductive reasoning

generating a hypothesis based on well-accepted scientific theory

observation, question, hypothesis, prediction, experiment, and conclusion

lists of the steps of the scientific method

multi-cellular

many-celled organisms

observation

observe a phenomenon

unicellular

organisms that are made up of a single cell and are genetically identical to their parent cell

inductive reasoning

process of generating a broad generalization based on making many observations that support it and none that contradict it