Biology as a science

Question 1

What is modern synthesis?

Answer 1

• unification of Darwinian evolutionary theory and mendelian genetics

Question 2

Why does evolution occur? What are the 4 mechanisms of microevolution and what do they mean?

Answer 2

• Natural selection (non- random survival and reproduction)
• genetic drift (Random changes of allele frequency in a pop)
• gene flow (random movement of alleles, induction of new alleles within a pop)
• mutation (Random changes of alleles to an individual)

Question 3

” if [X], then [Y]”

Answer 3

” if [hypothesis], then [prediction]”

Question 4

What is the path of the scientific method

Answer 4

observation –> question –> hypothesis –> prediction –> test/experiment

Question 5

Why does the field of biology contain no laws? how is it distinctly different from other physical sciences

Answer 5

• a law is a principle of nature that applied everywhere, without exception. However, the study of biology is ruled by change. Evolution and all other subject matter is constantly changing
• additionally, as life is organized into a hierarchy (cells, tissue, organs, organism, etc), complete knowledge at one level would not give you the processes/events to understand the next level (ex. singular cell process not the same as a group of cells)
• finally, biology has complex interactions. Not all biological phenomena are easily described quantitatively.