Intro To Biology Flashcards
Biology
The study of life
What defines life?
Order, evolutionary adaptations, responses to the environment, regulation, energy processing, growth and development, reproduction
Order
Highly-organized structures in their cells, tissues, organs, or organ systems
Adaptations
Individuals with favorable traits will survive and reproduce at higher rates
Stimuli
Living organisms have the ability to respond to these changes in their environment
Homeostasis
Maintaining a specific range of internal conditions inspite of outside changes
Reproduction
Process that living creatures use to pass their genes along to the next generation
Biosphere
Part of Earth that supports life
Ecosystem
Specific area within the biosphere with a common set of physical characteristics
Biological community
Made of all populations living and interacting in one ecosystem
Organism
An individual living thing
Organs/Organ Systems
Structures with a specific vital function
Tissues
Make up organs and are group of cells with similar structure and functions
Cell
The smallest unit of an organisms that still demonstrates all the basic characteristics of life
Aristotle’s belief
Life could arise from non-living matter
Scientific method
- Make an observation
- Ask a question or identify a problem
- Search for existing answers of solutions
- Formulate a hypothesis
- Design and perform an experiment
- Accept or reject hypothesis
- Draw conclusions
- Report and share results (preferably with like minded people)
Observation
The act of noticing and describing events or processes in a careful, orderly way
Hypothesis
An explanation for an observation based on prior knowledge
Experiment
Test a hypothesis under controlled conditions
Quantitative data
Data with numerical measurements
Qualitative data
Non-numerical descriptive data
Control group
Sample with no new variable being introduced
Probability
Helps predict the likeliness of an experimental result occurring simply due to a random chance
Bias
Scientists or patients influence the dater to produce a specific result
Blind experiment
Prevents the experimental subjects from knowing whether they are in the control or experimental group
Double-blind experiment
Prevents both the scientists and subjects from knowing which is the control and experimental group
Peer review
Other scientists to review and critique the experimental design, data collection, and analysis
Theories
Large, broad explanations composed of many hypotheses and experimental results
Scientific law
Description of an observed phenomenon
Cell biology
Studies cells; the smallest and simplest units of life
Genetics
The study of the inheritance of characteristics through DNA in chromosomes
Taxonomy
Names and classifies different specks to indicate now closely related they are
Evolution
Study of how the organisms on present dan came earth to be; that ancestors and now they are adapted to their environment
