Biology 101

How is PVC plastic similar to carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids?

-Carbohydrates -Lipids -Nucleic Acids -Proteins

Explain three uses for fats in animals.

-Maintain homeostasis -store energy -structural support

Explain three reasons why organisms are largely composed of water.

-Maintain temperature -help proteins maintain their correct shapes -water will DISSOLVE many substances

What 6 things differentiate all known living things from non-living?

-Reproduction -Energy -Adaption/Evolve -Growth and Development -Organization -Cells

Approx. how many new molecules of protein does your body make a second?

1 every second.

2 purposes of a cell membrane.

1. Acts as a filter 2.Keeps the cell together (snatched)

Name 2 purposes of a cell wall.

1. Protects the membrane 2. Maintains cell shape.

What mechanical item provides a good analogy for the structure of a DNA molecule, and why?

A zipper. A zipper is basically two strong strands weakly held together in the middle. Because the bonds in the middle of a zipper are weak, they can be easily broken, and the two strands can be unzipped.

When making a conclusion about a hypothesis, there are two possibilities. They are

Accept or Reject

What characteristic do all lipids have in common?

All fatty acids are small molecules composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms, covalentlybonded together in a specific pattern

Approx. How many different types of proteins are in your body?

Approx. 20,000 different types of proteins.

Approximately how long will the reserve of ATP in your brain cells last?

Approx. 4 minutes.

Why are we unaware that trillions of individual living cells make up our bodies?

Because they are so small.

What are two main uses for carbohydrates in organisms?

Carbohydrates have two main functions in organisms. Some of them are used to store energy, while others form very strong structural materials.

What happens to the properties of molecules when they are held together with covalent bonds?

Chemical bonds create big pieces of matter that we can see and interact with on our scale of reality.

The chemical symbol for chlorine is ______ .

Cl

You are presented with a large chunk of a solid, rocklike-substance. It is gray and hard. Using some sophisticated lab equipment, you break the chemical bonds that are holding the substance together. When you do this, you discover that you are left with a bunch of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, silicon, and calcium atoms. This means that the original chunk must have been a/an... -Atom -Molecule -Compound -Element -Ion

Compound

Which of the following is NOT one of those six things? -Contain DNA -Composed of one or more cells -attempt to maintain homeostasis -contain different types of proteins. -consume other organisms

Consume other organisms

D.N.A stands for...

Deoxyribonucleic Acid

When evaluating a hypothesis, what are the only two possible conclusions you can reach?

Either you accept or deny your findings

What is energy and why do living things need it?

Energy is defined as the ability of pushing something and making it change. Living things need it because protein machines have moving parts. Energy is needed to push on these parts and make them move. If the parts don't move, the protein doesn't function.

Why are scientific discoveries about reality often very strange?

Exploring beyond our senses with various instruments often shows us that reality is a lot stranger than we

True or False: A complete piece of DNA is composed of two strands of nucleotides linked together. The bonds that hold nucleotides together within one of the two strands are hydrogen bonds.

False

True or False: The outer surface of an atom is stable, solid, and unmoving.

False

Why are fats generally used for energy storage in animals and plant seeds, instead of carbohydrates?

Fats are used for energy storage in most animals. Plants mainly use carbohydrates for energy storage, but carbohydrates are very heavy. Fats weigh about half as much as carbohydrates, and are a better choice for organisms that move.

Where does genome within an organism come from?

From whoever produced them. EXAMPLE: I got mine from my parents.

What usually causes a clash between science and religion?

Generally, scientists believe that strong physical evidence offers a more accurate explanation of reality than literal interpretations of religious texts.

Difference between gene and genome and how they relate to DNA.

Genes are "recipes" (set of instructions written in language of DNA )and Genome is the "cookbook". DNA code>DNA language> GENE> GENOME

List some good and bad aspects of the fact that scientists often discover strange things about reality.

Good: is more interesting than living in a completely predictable, completely understandable universe Bad: Because scientists often find that reality is much stranger than we think it is, scientists maybe considered heretical, crazy, stupid, or perhaps even evil.

Why is our everyday understanding of reality limited?

Human senses are extremely limited. Thus, our understanding of how reality works is also extremely limited.

When would a hypothesis be accepted with a lot of confidence?

If there is a lot of evidence, and if the evidence points toward one explanation of reality, then you can have confidence that the evidence is probably correct.

What is the product of science?

Information discovered from the process is the product of science.

What is the difference between a monosaccharide, disaccharide, and polysaccharide?Which of them are polymers? Which of them are sugars?

Mono- single sugar disaccharide-2 mono linked together by a covalent bond resulting in 1 disaccharide. Polysaccharides- consist of many monosaccharides.

What percentage of a typical organism is composed of water?

Most organisms are about 75% water

About how many cells are in your colony?

No one actually knows. The estimate is between 10-100 TRILLION.

How might a hypothesis be found to be wrong, and does this mean that science has failed?

No, it does not mean science has failed. In fact, Human understanding of reality is always an approximation, and this approximation is always subject to change and amendment

Are questions of opinion or faith necessarily bad, flawed or unimportant?

No, it doesn't mean that faith is unimportant. One reason (among many) why faith is important is because it allows us to act when we don't have physical evidence to help us reach a conclusion.

Do scientists have to be atheists?

No, you do not.

Is the purpose of science to disprove the existence of a divine power?

No.

Explain the four basic parts of the scientific method in their proper order.

Observation: your observation on reality. Hypothesis: educated guess Test: your hypothesis. Accept/Reject: your hypothesis.

How many fatty acids are in one phospholipid molecule, and one fat molecule?

One PHOSPHOLIPIDmolecule is composed of TWO fatty acids covalently bonded together. Thus, phospholipids are analogous to disaccharides

Approximately how many nucleotides make up a typical DNA molecule?

One complete DNA molecule will contain hundreds or thousands of nucleotides.

Approximately how many total amino acids make up a typical protein molecule?

One protein molecule is a polymer of hundreds or thousands of amino acids covalently bonded together in a long chain.

Why does new life only come from existing life?

Organisms need proteins to exist, DNA is needed to make proteins, and DNA comes only from other organisms. Thus, new life comes only from existing life.

Which of the following molecules does this image most closely represent? If you see a small square with a question mark instead of an image, try clicking on it and opening the image in a new window. If this doesn't work, here's a description of the image that should enable you to answer the question: Drawing of three boxes, each labeled 'small molecule'. Two of the molecules are bonded to a 'head' molecule, and hang down below the head like 'tails'. covalent bond small molecule \ | | \ small molecule small molecule

Phospholipid

Why must most organisms make protein accurately and rapidly?

Proteins must be produced accurately or they wouldn't function properly. The must be made quickly to keep up with your bodies demand.

Why is it impossible to understand reality completely or with absolute certainty?

Reality is so vast, filled with stuff, and complicated, it's impossible to understand completely. They are so complicated, they may never be completely understood.

What is the purpose of DNA?

Reproduce

What does reproduction have to do with DNA?

Reproductions is the process of using DNA. It is the essence of reproduction.

Know the two hydrogen bonding rules for the nucleotides.

Rule 1: adenine and thymine bases can hydrogen bond together Rule 2: guanine and cytosine bases can hydrogen bond together

Is science a process of product?

Science IS the process and the information discovered IS the product.

Why can't science answer questions of opinion or faith?

Science requires physical evidence.

What is the scientific method, and is it only done by professional scientists?

Scientific method is the process of science. No, it can be done by anyone, even dogs, cats, etc.

What determines function of a specific protein in an organism?

Shape determines function.

What happens if an organism runs out of ATP?

Shuts down and eventually dies. RIP organism.

Difference between single-cell organism and multi-cell organism?

Single-cell organisms consist of only one cell vs multi-cell organisms containing many.

Define Homeostasis and why must living things maintain it?

Stable internal environment inside an organism. Proteins are delicate machines, and only function properly within its limits. If the limits are exceeded, they will self destruct and not function correctly.

Approx. how many genes are in a human genome?

Standard estimate is 20,000.

Explain how nucleotides are put together in a molecule of DNA, noting the location of covalent bonds and hydrogen bonds.

TWO nucleotide strands, attached across the 'middle 'with hydrogen bonds. These two strands together form one complete molecule of DNA

What is the difference between the science you do every day, and the science that a professional scientist does?

The complexity of the question being asked.

Explain the basic concept on how science works, what is collected, and what two things must be true in order to conclude that an explanation about reality is probably correct?

The scientific method is the basic concept. You either ACCEPT a hypothesis as an accurate description of reality, or you REJECT the hypothesis, because it doesn't accurately describe reality

What two things determine the shape of a protein machine?

The shape of a protein machine is determined by the IDENTITY and ORDER of the amino acids in its chain.

How many different amino acids are used to make proteins?

There are 20 different amino acids that are commonly used to make proteins.

Which of the following is NOT true of all organisms? -They contain a genome -They require energy -They are composed of many cells -They attempt to maintain homeostasis -They can reproduce

They contain a genome

What role do sugars play in most organisms?

They're the main energy source for almost all organisms

True or False: Chimpanzees do Science.

True

True or False: genes and genomes are both made of DNA

True

Explain one main reason why many people think that science is boring, difficult, and drains the mystery out of reality.

True science should express the beauty, excitement, and wonder of reality, however, its not always the case.

Most of your body is composed of ______ .

Water

What is the process of dissolving, and what are two reasons it is useful for organisms?

Water forms hydrogen bonds with the substance and pulls individual molecules of the substance away from one another, eventually dispersing them evenly throughout the water. -when items such as glucose and salt are dissolved, water is a useful way to move them around -dissolving is very important for cells

Does the process of science require physical evidence?

YES

Can scientists be wrong

Yes. Human understanding of reality is always an approximation, and this approximation is always subject to change and amendment.

What are the four specific nucleotides of DNA, and what are their one-letter abbreviations?

adenine, guanine, thymine, and cytosine A//G//T//C

Basic structure of a protein.

curly and coiled chain like, like Manuela's hair. Very strange.

What 'keywords' can help you recognize questions of opinion?

good, bad, better, worse, right, or wrong.

How many total monosaccharides make up a typical polysaccharide molecule?

hundreds or even thousands of glucose molecules can link together into one long chain. The result isa very large polymer molecule

What is the very first thing that must be done in the scientific method?

making an observation

What role do phospholipids play in organisms?

most common substances in all organisms (after water) are carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, and their molecules all contain chains or rings of carbon atoms. By definition, they are all organic molecules.

How does the shape of a protein machine relate to its function?

protein function is determined by protein shape

What is a main reason why many people think science is boring?

this is a legacy of poor teachers and poor textbooks

How can questions of opinion be reworded so that science can help investigate them?

we must get rid of words such as good, bad, better, worse, right, or wrong, and replace them with concepts for which we can actually gather physical evidence.

When science and religion clash, what stance do scientists generally take?

when there is a lot of physical evidence in support of one explanation of reality, and this explanation of reality does not agree with the literal interpretations of religious texts that certain people adhere to ................................................................