Chapter 1

Question 1

Evolution

Answer 1

Descent with modification; the idea that living species are descendants of ancestral species that were different from the present day ones; also defined more narrowly as the change in the genetic composition of a population from generation to generation.

Question 2

Biology

Answer 2

The scientific study of life.

Question 3

emergent properties

Answer 3

New properties that arise with each step upward in the hierarchy of life, owing to the arrangement and interactions of parts as complexity increases.

Question 4

systems biology

Answer 4

An approach to studying biology that aims to model the dynamic behavior of whole biological systems based on a study of the interactions among the system’s parts.

Question 5

eukaryotic cell

Answer 5

A type of cell with a membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles. Organisms with eukaryotic cells (protists, plants, fungi, and animals) are called eukaryotes.

Question 6

prokaryotic cell

Answer 6

A type of cell lacking a membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles. Organisms with prokaryotic cells (bacteria and archaea) are called prokaryotes.

Question 7

deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

Answer 7

A nucleic acid molecule, usually a double stranded helix, in which each polynucleotide strand consists of nucleotide monomers with a deoxyribose sugar and the nitrogenous bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T); capable of being replicated and determining the inherited structure of a cell’s proteins.

Question 8

gene

Answer 8

A discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA (or RNA, in some viruses).

Question 9

gene expression

Answer 9

The process by which information encoded in DNA directs the synthesis of proteins or, in some cases, RNAs that are not translated into proteins and instead function as RNAs.

Question 10

genome

Answer 10

The genetic material of an organism or virus; the complete complement of an organism’s or virus’s genes along with its noncoding nucleic acid sequences.

Question 11

genomics

Answer 11

The systematic study of whole sets of genes (or other DNA) and their interactions within a species, as well as genome comparisons between species.

Question 12

proteomics

Answer 12

The systematic study of sets of proteins and their properties, including their abundance, chemical modifications, and interactions.

Question 13

proteome

Answer 13

The entire set of proteins expressed by a given cell or group of cells.

Question 14

bioinformatics

Answer 14

The use of computers, software, and mathematical models to process and integrate biological information from large data sets.

Question 15

producer

Answer 15

An organism that produces organic compounds from CO2 by harnessing light energy (in photosynthesis) or by oxidizing inorganic chemicals (in chemosynthetic reactions carried out by some prokaryotes).

Question 16

feedback regulation

Answer 16

The regulation of a process by its output or end product.

Question 17

Bacteria

Answer 17

One of two prokaryotic domains, the other being Archaea.

Question 18

Archaea

Answer 18

One of two prokaryotic domains, the other being Bacteria.

Question 19

Eukarya

Answer 19

The domain that includes all eukaryotic organisms.

Question 20

natural selection

Answer 20

A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits.

Question 21

science

Answer 21

An approach to understanding the natural world.

Question 22

inquiry

Answer 22

The search for information and explanation, often focusing on specific questions.

Question 23

data

Answer 23

Recorded observations.

Question 24

inductive reasoning

Answer 24

A type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large number of specific observations.

Question 25

hypothesis

Answer 25

A testable explanation for a set of observations based on the available data and guided by inductive reasoning. A hypothesis is narrower in scope than a theory.

Question 26

deductive reasoning

Answer 26

A type of logic in which specific results are predicted from a general premise.

Question 27

experiment

Answer 27

A scientific test, carried out under controlled conditions, involving manipulation of one or more factors in a system in order to see the effects of those changes.

Question 28

variable

Answer 28

A factor that varies in an experiment or other test.

Question 29

controlled experiment

Answer 29

An experiment in which an experimental group is compared with a control group that varies only in the factor being tested.

Question 30

dependent variable

Answer 30

A variable whose value is measured during an experiment or other test to see whether it is influenced by changes in another variable (the independent variable).

Question 31

independent variable

Answer 31

A variable whose value is manipulated or changed during an experiment or other test to reveal possible effects on another variable (the dependent variable).

Question 32

theory

Answer 32

An explanation that is broader in scope than a hypothesis, generates new hypotheses, and is supported by a large body of evidence.

Question 33

model organism

Answer 33

A particular species chosen for research into broad biological principles because it is representative of a larger group and usually easy to grow in a lab.

Question 34

technology

Answer 34

The application of scientific knowledge for a specific purpose, often involving industry or commerce but also including uses in basic research.