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Introduction To Biology: Modified by Iryna Mcguire

1. Biology is the scientific study of life, which is defined by eight properties shared by all living things: order, sensitivity, reproduction, adaptation, growth, regulation, homeostasis, and energy processing. 2. The scientific method involves making observations, asking questions, formulating hypotheses, experimentation, analyzing results, and communicating conclusions. Scientific theories are supported by evidence but are not absolute truths. 3. All living things are classified into a hierarchy of domains, kingdoms, phyla, classes, orders, families, genera, and species to organize the diversity of life on Earth.

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61 views28 pages

Introduction To Biology: Modified by Iryna Mcguire

1. Biology is the scientific study of life, which is defined by eight properties shared by all living things: order, sensitivity, reproduction, adaptation, growth, regulation, homeostasis, and energy processing. 2. The scientific method involves making observations, asking questions, formulating hypotheses, experimentation, analyzing results, and communicating conclusions. Scientific theories are supported by evidence but are not absolute truths. 3. All living things are classified into a hierarchy of domains, kingdoms, phyla, classes, orders, families, genera, and species to organize the diversity of life on Earth.

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kochoa330_894411374
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chapter 1

Introduction to Biology

Modified by Iryna McGuire


Themes and Concepts of Biology
• Biology is the
scientific study of life.
• What exactly is life?
Properties of Life
• All groups of living organisms share several key characteristics or
functions:
- order,
- sensitivity or response to stimuli,
- reproduction,
- adaptation,
- growth and development,
- regulation,
- homeostasis, and
- energy processing.
• When viewed together, these eight characteristics serve to define life.
Properties of Life
• Order
- Organisms are highly organized structures that consist of one or more cells.
Properties of Life
• Sensitivity or Response to Stimuli
- Organisms respond to diverse stimuli
- For example, plants can bend toward a source of light or respond to touch
- Tiny bacteria can move toward or away from chemicals (chemotaxis) or light
(phototaxis).
Properties of Life
• Reproduction
- Sexual and asexual reproduction
- DNA containing genes is passed along to an organism’s offspring
Properties of Life
• Adaptation
- All adaptations
enhance the
reproductive
potential of the
individual exhibiting
them, including their
ability to survive
Properties of Life
• Growth and Development
- Organisms grow and develop
according to specific instructions
coded for by their genes. 

• Regulation
- Even the smallest organisms are complex and require multiple regulatory
mechanisms to coordinate internal functions, such as the transport of nutrients,
response to stimuli, and coping with environmental stresses.
Properties of Life
• Homeostasis
- “steady state”—the ability of an organism to maintain constant internal conditions.

• Energy Processing
- All organisms use a source of energy for their metabolic activities. Some organisms
capture energy from the Sun and convert it into chemical energy in food; others use
chemical energy from molecules they take in.
The Process of Science
• There are two main scientific approaches:
- Discovery science is mostly about describing nature.
- Hypothesis-driven science is mostly about explaining nature.
Discovery Science
• Verifiable observations and measurements are the data of discovery
science.
- In biology, discovery science enables us to describe life at its many levels, from
ecosystems down to cells and molecules.
Discovery Science
- can stimulate us to ask questions and seek explanations and
- uses a process of inquiry called the scientific method, consisting of a
series of steps that provide a loose guideline for scientific investigations.
Hypothesis-Driven Science
• Most modern scientific investigations can be described as hypothesis-
driven science.
– A hypothesis is a tentative answer to a question—an explanation on trial.
– Hypotheses cannot be proved true, only supported or disproved.
Steps of the scientific method
1. Observation/Research: Make observations and research your topic of
interest.
2. Problem/Question: Develop a question or problem that can be solved
through experimentation.
3. Formulate a Hypothesis: Predict a possible answer to the problem or
question.
Example: If soil temperatures rise, then plant growth will increase.
4. Experiment: Develop and follow a procedure.
Include a detailed materials list.
Steps of the scientific method

5. Collect and Analyze Results: Modify the procedure if needed.


Confirm the results by retesting.
Include tables, graphs, and photographs.
6. Conclusion: Include a statement that accepts or rejects the hypothesis.
Make recommendations for further study and possible improvements
to the procedure.
7. Communicate the Results:
The parts of a controlled experiment

• The independent, or manipulated variable, is a factor that’s


intentionally varied by the experimenter
• The dependent, or responding variable, is the factor that may change
as a result of changes made in the independent variable
• The control group is exposed to the same conditions as the
experimental group, except for the variable being tested
• The constants (standardized variables) in an experiment are all the
factors that the experimenter attempts to keep the same
Theories in Science
• What is a scientific theory, and how is it different from a hypothesis?
- A scientific theory is much broader in scope than a hypothesis.
- Theories only become widely accepted in science if they are supported by an
accumulation of extensive and varied evidence.
Theories in Science
• Scientific theories are not the only way of “knowing nature.”
- Science, religion, and art are very different ways of trying to make sense of nature.
The Culture of Science
• Science has two key features that distinguish it from other forms of
inquiry. Science
- depends on observations and measurements that others can verify and
- requires that ideas (hypotheses) are testable by experiments that others can
repeat.
The Culture of Science
• Use of the scientific method
• Ideas must be tested
• Can only look at the natural world
• No absolutes
- Scientific laws are not considered absolute truths. In fact, the core philosophy
of the scientific method is that no scientific fact is to be considered an
absolute truth.
What is Natural World?
• In the language of science, the term natural refers to any element of
the physical universe.
• What's natural is often identified by testability.
• Natural things behave in predictable ways (though we may not yet
fully understand them) which have observable outcomes.
• This predictability means that we can test hypotheses about natural
entities by making observations.
What is Natural World?
• Ghosts, for example, are supernatural entities without a basis in the
physical universe and so are not subject to the laws of that
universe. Hence, ghosts are outside the purview of science, and we
cannot study their existence (or lack thereof) with the tools of
science.
Levels of Organization
All Living Organisms Must be Classified

3 Main Domains:
• Eukarya, Archae,
Bacteria
Properties of the 3 Domains
The Diversity of Life
• In the 18th century, a scientist named Carl Linnaeus first proposed
organizing the known species of organisms into a hierarchical
taxonomy.
Chapter 1 Quiz

1. List the 8 properties of life.


2. List the components of the scientific method.
3. You are conducting an experiment to test the hypothesis that dairy cows will give more
milk if they listen to classical music while being milked. Your 20 experimental cows
listen to classical music during milking; you collect all their milk and measure how
much there is.
Identify:
a. Control group
b. Experimental group
c. Dependent variables
d. Independent variables
e. Controlled variables

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