Introduction Flashcards
Can any definition explain what “life” is?
No. All definitions fall short and cannot nail down exactly what life is. The best we can do is to define attributes of living things.
Biologists’ definition of life?
The ability to take in energy, to do work, to respond to the environment, to grow, and to reproduce.
From what language does the word “biology” come?
Greek
What does the Greek word “bios” mean?
“life”
What does the Greek word “logos” mean?
“word” or “study”
What does the word “biology” mean?
the study of life
Why might life be so difficult to define?
Because life is essentially a spiritual thing, not a material thing.
Define “taxonomy”
The system of categorizing life. (Putting different living things into categories.)
From what language does the word “taxonomy” come?
Greek
What does the Greek word “taxis” mean?
to arrange or classify
What does the Greek word “nomos” mean?
the laws
What does the word “taxonomy” mean?
the law of classification
Name some ways life can be classified
habitat, creation date, physical structure, early embryonic properties, genetics, etc…
How is life classified in modern taxonomy?
according to physical structure
Who first fully organized the living world into the biological classification categories?
Carolus Linnaeus, a Christian biologist
What is the name of Carolus Linnaeus’ book?
“Systema naturae”
What was one great influence on Linnaeus?
the book “The Wisdom of God Manifested in the Works of Creation”
Who wrote the book “The Wisdom of God Manifested in the Works of Creation”
the Christian clergyman John Ray
What is one key thing Ray taught in his book “The Wisdom of God Manifested in the Works of Creation”?
That similarity in structure is evidence of a common Designer.
Who came up with the Biological Classification system of naming organisms?
Carolus Linnaeus, a Christian biologist
What language is used to name organisms in the Biological Classification system?
Latin
What are the categories in Linnaeus’ Biological Classification system?
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
What’s the difference between the biblical word “kind” and the modern term “species”?
Biblical kinds generally represent animals that can interbreed with one another, so it’s somewhere between modern “species” and “genus”
