Chapter 1 Vocab Flashcards
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.
evolution
The scientific study of life
biology
New properties that arise with each step upward in the hierarchy of life, owing to the arrangement and interactions of parts as complexity increases
emergent properties
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
systems biology
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.
eukaryotic cell
A type of cell lacking a membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles. Organisms with prokaryotic cells (bacteria and archea) are called prokaryotes.
prokaryotic cell
A nucleic acid molecule, usually a double-stranded helix, in which each polynucleotide strand consists if nucleotide monomers with a deoxyribose sugar and the notrogenous bases adenine (A), cytosine(c), guanine (G), and thymine (T); capable of being regulated and determining the inherited structure of a cell’s proteins.
DNA De oxy ribo nu cleic acid
A discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA (or RNA in some viruses)
genes
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
gene expression
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
genome
The study of whole sets of genes and their interactions within a species, as well as genome comparisons between species
genomics
The use of computers, software and mathematical models to process and integrate biological information from large data sets
bioinformatics
On of tow prokaryotic domains, the other being Archea
bacteria
One of two prokaryotic domains, the other being Bacteria
Archea
The domain that includes all eukaryotic organisms
Eukarya
A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rate than other individuals BECAUSE OF those traits
natural selection
an approach to understanding the natural world
Science
The search for information and explantation, often focusing on specific questions
inquiry
recorded observations
data
a type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large number of specific observations
inductive reasoning
a testable explanation for a set of observations based on t he available data and guided by inductive reasoning. A hypothesis is narrower in scope than a theory.
hypothesis
a type of logic in which specific results are predicted from a general premise
deductive reasoning
an experiment in which an experimental group is compared with a control group that varies only in the factor being tested
controlled experiment
an explanation that is broader in scope that a hypothesis, generates new hypotheses and is supported by a large body of evidence
theory
the application of scientific knowledge for a specific purpose, often involving industry or commerce but also including uses in basic research
technology
