Lecture 2 Flashcards
What general things are good signs that something is alive?
Reproduction, Response to the environment, growth and development, energy processing, order, evolutionary adaptation, regulation (homeostasis)
What is something that blurs the boundary between living and nonliving things?
Mobile genetic elements AKA “Jumping genes”
What are the levels of biological organization (smallest to largest)
molecules
organelles
cells
tissues
organs
organisms
populations, communities, ecosystems, biosphere
How many species have been identified and named to date?
1.8 million
What is the two-part name each species is given?
genus and the species
What is an example of a two-part name each species is given
homo sapiens
genus species
What is the estimate of the total number of species that actually exists?
10 million to over 100 million
What is the unity that underlies the diversity of life?
All living things are made up of cells
DNA
What are cells?
basic unit of life
What surrounds a cell?`
membrane
What is DNA
universal genetic language common to all organisms
How do cells arise?
from previously existing cells
What does evolution explain?
The unity and diversity of life
What are the three domains of life?
Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya
What are the examples of prokaryotes?
Bacteria and Archaea
Bacteria are Archaea are examples of what?
prokaryotes
What is contained in a chromosome?
one long DNA molecules with hundreds of thousands of genes
Where is DNA located?
in chromosomes
What are the units of inheritance?
Genes
What is the function of genes?
encode information for building proteins, directs the development of an organism
What is responsible for the development of an organism?
the genetic information encoded by DNA
What is evolution?
the concept that living organisms are modified descendants of common ancestors
What has evolution proven?
life arose once on our planet (unity)
What created the diversity of life?
selective pressures
What are two types of selective pressures?
natural selection and sexual selection
What is the scientific method (definition)
idealized process of inquiry
Is the scientific process accurate for real-life inquires?
No because v
very few adhere rigidly to this approach
What are the steps to scientific method?
Observation/Question
Research topic idea
Hypothesis
Test with experiment
Analyze Data
Report Conclusions
What is a hypothesis?
An explanation based on observations and assumptions that lead to a testable prediction
What must a hypothesis lead to?
predictions that can be tested by making additional observations or by performing experiments
What is an experiment?
a scientific test carried out under controlled conditions
What is a theory?
broader in scope by a hypothesis, supported by a large body of evidence in comparison to a hypothesis. Can lead to new testable hypotheses. Consistent with all available data/observations
What are three examples of theories?
Germ theory, evolutionary theory, gravity theory
What is reductionist biology to systems biology
understanding the whole by studying its parts
biological systems display emergent properties
reductionism is complimented by systems biology
What is matter made up of?
elements
What is the smallest unit of matter?
atoms
What is an elements?
a substance that can not be broken down into other substances by chemical reactions
What is a compound?
A substance consisting of two or more different elements in a fixed ratio
What is a molecule?
A substance consisting of two or more atoms joined together with covalent bonds
How many natural elements are there?
92
Of the natural elements, what percentage are essential elements?
20-25%
What elements make up 96% of living matter?
Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen (CHON)
What make sup the other 4% of living matter?
Calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur (CaPPS)
What are trace elements?
elements that are required by an organism in only minute quantities
What does an elements consist of?
Unique uniform atoms
What is an atom?
The smallest unit of matter that still retains the properties of an element
What are atoms composed of?
subatomic particles
What are the subatomic particles?
protons, neutrons, and electrons
What part of an atom takes up the most space?
the electron cloud
What defines an element?
atomic number
What makes up the electron cloud?
electrons around the nucleus
In neutral atoms, what is the numbers of protons and electrons?
protons=#electrons
What are the units of neutron mass and proton mass (atomic mass unit)?
daltons
What is the relationship between neutron mass and proton mass?
They are almost identical
Who discovered Rf and Db
James A. Harris
