Lecture 1.1 - Properties of Life

Question 1

Identify what the branch of biology studies.

Answer 1

the scientific study of living organisms.

Question 2

List and explain the properties of life.

Answer 2

All living organisms share several key characteristics or functions: order, sensitivity or response to the environment, reproduction, growth and development, regulation, homeostasis, and energy processing.

Question 3

Biology

Answer 3

the scientific study of living things

Question 4

Cell

Answer 4

basic unit of all living organisms. A cell is separated from the environment by a membrane.

Question 5

Cell Theory (list its 3 tenents)

Answer 5

A Theory explained by 3 points:

1. cells are the fundamental units of life
2. all organisms are made of membrane-bound cells
3. all cells come from preexisting cells.

Question 6

All-cells-from-cells hypothesis

Answer 6

Pasteur’s experiment provided conclusive evidence to this hypothesis; stating that cells can only come from other cells.

Question 7

Evolutionary adaptation

Answer 7

the adjustment of organisms to their environment in order to improve their chances of survival

Question 8

growth

Answer 8

the irreversible change in the size of cells and plant organs due to both cell division and enlargement

Question 9

hypothesis

Answer 9

a proposed explanation for an observable phenomenon.

Question 10

order

Answer 10

also known as a group of closely related families

Question 11

Energy processing

Answer 11

aka metabolism

Question 12

reproduction

Answer 12

the production of offspring; can occur either sexually or asexually in living things

Question 13

spontaneous generation hypothesis

Answer 13

the previously popular thinking that a living thing could arise or develop from a non-living thing

Question 14

theory

Answer 14

an explanation for a natural phenomenon that is widely accepted among the scientific community and supported by data.

Question 15

microscope

Answer 15

an instrument devleoped by RObert Hooke and refined by Anton Leewenhoek

Question 16

regulation

Answer 16

aka homeostasis

Question 17

response to the environment

Answer 17

aka response to stimulus. Reactions can be brought about by learned experience, heredity or adaptation. A response can be an immediate, involuntary action or purposeful behavior.

Question 18

Give examples of reasons that illustrate why it is important that we study biology.

Answer 18

1. Humans want to understand and explain the disease

2. What are organisms made of? And where do they come from?

Question 19

explain evidence that proves the 3 tenants of cell theory

Answer 19

1. Anton van
3. all-cells-come-from-cell theory–> Louis Pasteur debunked spontaneous generation theory after proving that the maggots that infested the rotten meat could only be produced by preexisting flies, not from the rotting meat itself