Chapter 3 Flashcards
What are the four types of molecules that organisms are composed of?
Organisms are composed of cells, proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids
What are proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids essential for?
They are essential for cell structure and function
Proteins
Strings of amino acids folded into complex 3D shapes
Lipids
They’re composed of a hydrophilic (water-loving) head and a hydrophobic (water-repelling) tail.
When lipids are chained together, what do they form?
Chained together, they make complex molecules called fats and triglycerides
Carbohydrates
Composed of carbon and hydrogen atoms that are broken down to supply energy for an organism
Nucleic Acids
They carry genetic information about a living organism
What is DNA?
It has genetic information that programs and provides instructions on all of our cells. Molecule of life.
How many strands does a DNA have?
Two strands aka the double helix 🧬
What is DNA composed of?
It’s composed of a sugar-phosphate backbone and nucleotides
What is RNA?
It uses the instructions of DNA to chain amino acids together to make proteins
How many strands does RNA have?
One strand
What chemicals does an amino acid have?
Carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen
Why do anthropologists care about DNA?
They can analyze sequences of DNA and determine how species are related or different from each other
What are the two types of cells?
Prokaryotes and eukaryotes
What are prokaryotes composed of?
They are composed of bacteria and archaea
What does a prokaryote look like?
It has no nucleus and has DNA floating around
What was the first to develop?
Prokaryote cell
Eukaryotic cell
They have DNA in the nucleus and are found in animal, plant, and animal cells.
Organelle
A structure within the cell that performs specialized tasks that are essential for the cell.
Do prokaryotic cells have organelles surrounded by individual membranes?
No, they don’t have specialized compartments that are separated like eukaryotic cells
Microbiome
The microbiome is the collection of all microbes (such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and their genes) that naturally live on our bodies and inside us.
What is the purpose of the microbiome?
It helps with food digestion, boosting the immune system, and even making vitamins–all of these things help with human health.
Archaea
Archaea are a group of micro-organisms that are similar to, but evolutionarily distinct from bacteria
Until the 1970s, they were classified as bacteria.